(TENAFLY, NJ) -- The winner of the youngest age category of the prestigious Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Belgium was 8-year-old Ria Kang of Tenafly, NJ. Her winnings include a prize of €1,000 and a Master Class with Ukrainian virtuoso Pavel Vernikov. The competition took place April 9-14, 2024.

The Skillman Elementary School third grader advanced through three qualifying rounds across an entire week of events at this, her first overseas competition. She bested a field of 16 young musicians to take the top spot in Category I, for violinists 11 years old and under.

Ria is already a seasoned performer and competitor, and loved playing live in front of the Grumiaux audience, especially with an orchestra, describing her emotion as “nervouscited” -- both nervous and excited -- when she got on stage to perform.

“When Ria first came to camp years ago, her gift and drive were obvious, even though she was only about twice the size of a violin herself!” recalled Sandy Marcucci, President of the Philadelphia International Music Camp & Festival (PIMF), featuring members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. “We’re so very proud to be part of her musical journey and to watch Ria grow as a musician and a person every summer.”

Notably, PIMF students took two of the three top spots at Grumiaux this year; the winner of its Category II, for skilled violinists aged 12 to 16, was also won by a longtime PIMF student.

Ria’s father, Justin Kang, credits opportunities to play for an audience for getting his daughter performance-ready for Grumiaux. “The Solo Preparation Program at PIMF definitely helped Ria’s development,” he noted, “with its frequent opportunities to work with a pianist and perform on stage.”

Young musicians interested in working with principal players and other members of the world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra can still find a summer music home at The Philadelphia International Music Camp and Festival this year. For more information visit pimf.org or call 856.875.6816. Interested musicians may also email Operations Director Jacob Heil for additional information: jacob.heil@pimf.org.

The Philadelphia International Music Festival (PIMF) is a resident summer music program directed by Kimberly Fisher, Principal Second Violin of The Philadelphia Orchestra, offering student musicians from around the world the unique opportunity of spending up to four weeks immersed in music education and performance training with members of the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra.

PIMF offers summer camp programs both online AND live on Philadelphia’s prestigious Main Line. Since March 2020, PIMF’s online platform has expanded its training programs year-round with Master Classes taught by principal players and other members of The Philadelphia Orchestra.