Ariel began her piano education at the age of two; when she was thirteen years old, she was awarded the Teacher Association for Performance (ARCT) level diploma in the Canadian Royal Conservatory of Music. She currently studies with Haesun Paik, Sangyoung Kim, and periodically takes lessons with Wha-Kyung Byun in the New England Conservatory. Last summer, she participated in the Curtis Institute of Music program, where she played in a masterclass for Julliard School’s Yoheved Kaplinsky.
At the age of 10, Ariel played her first solo piano recital at Tom Lee Music Hall in Vancouver, Canada. Since then, she has performed as a piano soloist with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Richmond Delta Youth Symphony Orchestra. Currently, Ariel plays the piano in Phillips Academy Chamber Music Society in Andover, MA.
As a passionate music learner, Ariel has been engaging in local, national, and international music competitions since the age of 7. She has received more than 30 first prizes, multiple scholarships, invitations to perform in gala concerts, and recognition from adjudicators and audiences in regional competitions such as the Vancouver Kiwanis Music Festivals, Richmond Music Festivals, Student Performers Guild Festivals, and the Russian Music Festival. She is also the third place winner in the national Canadian Music Competition 2015.
Internationally, Ariel was awarded Gold Medal and performed at the Winners’ Concert in the International Young Musicians Festival "PASSION OF MUSIC 2013" of AADGT at Carnegie Hall in New York City at her age of 9. At the age of 10, winning First Prize in the Young Musicians category of the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition 2014, she performed at Carnegie Hall and won the Judges' Distinction Award, as the youngest on stage. At 12, the youngest contestant, she won the championship in the 16+ piano category in the 2nd Hong Kong International Music Festival 2015 Music Competition, and performed at the Winners' Concert held at Tsuen Wan Town Hall in Hong Kong. At 13, she won the Shanghai International Piano Festival and Institute Competition in the 16 & under category in China.
