Ria Kang

Ria Kang is a 10-year-old violinist and AYA Youth Artist known for her musical sensitivity, expressive subtlety, and commanding stage presence. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Merkin Hall. In May 2026, she appeared in the Concours musical international de Montréal’s Mini Violini concert as the youngest of four artists selected worldwide. The previous month, she performed at the opening ceremony of the World AI Film Festival in Cannes.

Ria won first prize in Category I of the 2024 Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition. She studies with Catherine Cho at The Juilliard School, where she was accepted into the Pre-College program at age seven. She began violin studies at age four and previously studied with Sheryl Staples, Joseph Lin, and Marvin Moon.

Ria made her first Carnegie Hall appearance at Weill Recital Hall at age six and her orchestral debut with the Seocho Philharmonia at age nine. Her recent appearances include the Kayden Music Commissioning Program at Juilliard, where she took part in the world premiere of ten violin-duo versions of Curtis Stewart’s 24 American Caprices; the Steinway Spirio Ambassador Launch at Steinway Hall; and an Annual Investor Conference at Jazz at Lincoln Center. In June 2025, she was the youngest of thirteen student artists selected for Juilliard’s Starling-DeLay Symposium on Violin Studies, performing in both 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 at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater.

Her competition honors also include first prizes at 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.

Ria has participated in the Tibor Varga Academy, Sounding Point Academy, Heifetz Institute, and Philadelphia International Music Festival. Through lessons and masterclasses, she has worked with violinists Randall Goosby, Cornelia Heard, Pavel Vernikov, Svetlana Makarova, Bob Lipsett, Masao Kawasaki, Richard Lin, Xiao Wang, and Kimberly Fisher.

Her artistry has been featured by ABC7 New York, The Strad, SBS News, New Jersey Stage, and Violinist.com. She has also received recognition from the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Global Honors Club and the Bergen County Board of Commissioners.

Beyond music, Ria excels academically. She earned High Honors in the 2022–2023 talent search conducted by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth. In her free time, she enjoys acting, reading, writing, drawing, listening to classical music, and playing with her Maltese, Milk.