Riley Kong, 12, started learning piano at 5, now is studying piano with Lena Grozman. At the age of 8, Riley won 1st place in the elementary division of Music Legacy Open Competition. Since then, he has won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in US Open Music Competition in 2014, 2015 and 2016 on various categories of Contemporary/Baroque/Classical/showcase solo/sight-reading. He was placed as alternate 1st place in CAPMT 2015-16 Honors Competition in category A (12 and under) in district 2 (San Francisco Bay Area & Santa Clara Valley district). He was also placed 3rd for Concerto, and winner (first place) in CAPMT 2016-17 in district 2 for Contemporary category in which he will go to the state final in April. Riley has won the first prize winner for GCC for Best Chopin and Best Bach Performance.
Besides playing piano, Riley also enjoys reading books, solving math problems, competing in math, geography bees, participating in Robotics team competitions, and volunteering in student outreach events.
