Glory for 12-year-old violinist at National Music Competition

Twelve-year-old prolific violin performer Tricia Ng was crowned grand prize winner at the first-ever Qatar National Music Competition (QNMC) which recently concluded in a dazzling gala show of pure talent at the Katara Drama Theatre, which was filled to the brim with music enthusiasts from all ages.
The diminutive violinist impressed the audience with a virtuoso performance, alongside members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, to a loud standing ovation from the adoring crowd. She bested 14 other performers in various genres, who were all winners of the talent competition to bag the most coveted ‘Vodafone Grand Prize’ for the best overall performance during the three-hour long show.
This was not the first time Tricia, who started playing violin at a tender age of 3, won a competition. Two years ago, she was first prize winner in the junior category at the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition.
Making her debut onstage at four years old, the Singaporean violin player who was granted scholarship with Qatar Music Academy, has featured in many concerts and events in Qatar.
More than 700 young aspiring musicians vied for a total of 84 prizes in various categories including Concerto Cup, Choir, Arabic Instrumental, Solo Vocal, Arabic Singing, Solo Strings, Piano, Qatar Adult Cup, Percussion-Guitar, Ensembles, Solo Winds and Keyboard, in addition to Qatar’s Best Award, Concerto Prize, British Festival Prize, Katara Studios Recording Prize, Qatar Museums Prize and Sheikh Faisal Prize, as well as special awards given embassies including Switzerland, France, Russia, the UK, Korea, India, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Hungary, Indonesia, and Austria.
Last Thursday’s awards ceremony and prize winners’ gala concert proved the innumerable talents the country has to offer with astounding performances from rising singers and musicians.
Among the most applauded numbers were piano performances by Prama Yudhistira who won the solo piano under 18 and Indonesian Ambassador’s Award and by Qatar’s Best Award winner Hala Al Emadi.
The Maharlikans Vocal Ensemble of the Philippines, who bagged first place in the Adult Mixed Choir category and the Dutch Music for Peace Award capped the night’s brilliant lineup of performances representing Qatar’s multinational community.
Organised by Qatar-based non-profit foundation Moving Young Artists (MYA), the five-day nationwide search for the best of Qatar’s musical talent was launched “to inspire a deep love and knowledge of music in the Qatari community.”
Under the patronage of Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (NatCom), the competition seeks to create a platform that encourages the best in music creativity and performance in Qatar.
The competition was launched in May and was opened to those below 18 years old with a flair for music including playing piano, winds, strings, percussion/harp/guitar, as well as vocal and composition encompassing Arabic and Western music.
Thanking the individuals and organizations who supported the QNMC’s inaugural edition, MYA founders Joris Laenen and Sonja Park said they were overwhelmed by the wealth of talent in Qatar they discovered throughout the duration of the competition, and expressed hope it would be sustained in the coming years.