At 12 years of age, Vancouver-born Sung Audrey is already something of a veteran of the piano competition circuit. She’s been at the keyboard since the age of six, and it’s something that is now central to her life.
“Piano is a major aspect of my life, and it just lets all the feelings out,” Sung told CTV National News. “I just love practising in general because I always love music.”
She’s collected about $30,000 in prize money this year, and she is donating it to charities for other kids, split between three Canadian organizations.
- I’m HIPpy assists kids living with hip disorders;
- Pacific Rim International Music & Education Society;
- The Royal Conservatory.
The latter two organizations will use the donation towards music education initiatives.
“I hope that the fund helps children learn more about music and give more opportunities to them,” Sung said.
Audrey Sung
Dubbed a child prodigy, Sung has been on some of the world’s prestigious concert stages, including performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the Pacific Rim International Music Festival at the age of nine. She’s racked up an impressive string of wins and titles in Hong Kong youth piano competitions, among others. In 2019, she was awarded Grand Prize of the P. I. Tchaikovsky Memorial Award (children) at the International Music Competition for Young Pianists.
Audrey Sung at Shanghai International Music Festival in 2019
It’s not the first time the young pianist has donated money and talent towards worthy causes. In 2020, she notably took part in a charity competition and concert to raise funds to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. When Hong Kong was experiencing the worst of the Omicron variant in early 2020, Audrey donated HK$360,000 to charities assisting the elderly and children with special needs in fighting the pandemic.
Audrey has been studying with noted pianist and composer Liu Shikun, with a goal of eventually entering the Juilliard School of Music.
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