About Ria

Known for her musical sensitivity, expressive subtlety, and commanding stage presence, 10-year-old violinist Ria Kang has performed at renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall. In May 2026, she performed at the Concours musical international de Montréal's Mini Violini concert as the youngest of four artists chosen worldwide, and in April she appeared at the opening ceremony of the World AI Film Festival in Cannes.

A first-prize winner in Category I of the 2024 Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition, Ria is a student of Catherine Cho at The Juilliard School, where she was accepted into the Pre-College program at age 7. She previously studied with Sheryl Staples, Joseph Lin, and Marvin Moon, and began studying the violin at age 4.

Ria has performed on major stages since her earliest years. She made her first Carnegie Hall appearance at Weill Recital Hall at age 6 and her orchestral debut with the Seocho Philharmonia at age 9. Recent appearances include the Kayden Music Commissioning Program for the world premiere of ten violin-duo versions of Curtis Stewart’s 24 American Caprices at Juilliard, the Steinway Spirio Ambassador Launch at Steinway Hall, an Annual Investor Conference at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and, in June 2025, Juilliard’s Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies, where she was the youngest of thirteen selected student artists, performing in a recital and a public masterclass. In 2024, she performed in the Juilliard Celebration concert at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and appeared as a guest artist at the Youth America Grand Prix 25th Anniversary Gala, held at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater.

Ria has won first prize at various competitions including the Camerata Artists International Competition, New York International Music Festival & Concours, New York Young Virtuoso Competition, Music International Grand Prix, and Philadelphia International Music Festival Concerto Competition. She has also participated in prestigious music programs including the Tibor Varga Academy, Sounding Point Academy, Heifetz Institute, and the Philadelphia International Music Festival, and has taken lessons and masterclasses with renowned violinists such as Randall Goosby, Cornelia Heard, Pavel Vernikov, Svetlana Makarova, Bob Lipsett, Masao Kawasaki, Richard Lin, Xiao Wang, and Kimberly Fisher.

Ria’s artistry has been featured by ABC7 New York, The Strad, SBS News, New Jersey Stage, and Violinist.com, and she has been recognized by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Global Honors Club and the Bergen County Board of Commissioners. Beyond music, she excels academically, earning High Honors in the 2022–2023 talent search conducted by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth. In her free time, Ria enjoys acting, reading, writing, drawing, listening to classical music, and playing with her Maltese, Milk.