Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Alumna Khanh Nhi Luong Shows Prize-Winning Chops

A little history was made in September 2024 when Vietnamese pianist Khanh Nhi Luong became the first alumna of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory to make the grand finals of a major international piano competition.

- Chang Tou Liang

CONCERT KHANH NHI LUONG PIANO RECITAL Conservatory Concert Hall April 1

The former student of Thomas Hecht, presently pursuing doctoral studies in Michigan, was awarded third prize at the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition.

Returning to Singapore for the first time since her graduation in 2019, she performed an hour-long recital elegantly dressed in a bright pink ao dai, the traditional attire of her homeland.

Opening the evening was Franz Schubert's Sonata In A Major (D. 664), known as his "little" sonata in three movements as opposed to the monumental D. 959 in four movements, also in the same key. Straight off, she showed exactly why she had been so highly regarded by the competition jury. The sheer lyricism of the opening movement, likened to the freshness of a spring morning, came through most eloquently.