Hello, my name is Alishia Su Overton. I am eleven years old and currently a sixth-grade student. My first encounter with the piano took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. At my school in England, we were assigned a project to learn a new skill while staying at home in isolation. I was five years old at the time.
One day, while visiting my grandmother, I asked if I could borrow the electronic keyboard in her house. She was delighted by my interest and decided to give it to me as a gift. That was how I began my piano education with my mother. When my mother’s guidance was not sufficient, I used the Simply Piano application to continue learning on my own. Within a year, I was able to read all the notes, play the keys fluently, and perform many classical pieces as well as some pop songs.
After some time, my father told me it was time to have my own piano. He took me to a piano store that I still remember vividly because it left a lasting impression on me. I was free to choose any piano I wanted. I tried them all and finally chose the one that I still play and love today.
In 2020, when schools reopened, I was a student at Warwick Preparatory School in England and started taking my first private piano lessons there at the age of six. Soon after, I participated in the ABRSM Grade 1 examination in person and achieved a Distinction.
My piano lessons at school continued until the end of 2022. In 2021, I took the ABRSM Grade 2 exam, once again in person, and received a high Merit. During this period, I also performed in school recitals. In 2022, I took the ABRSM Grade 3 exam and earned another Distinction.
In 2023, we moved to Turkey, where I began taking private piano lessons twice a week with my beloved teacher Demet Kivrak, with whom I still study today. I performed in piano concerts organized by my teacher at my school in Bodrum and took part in national celebrations. In 2024, I participated in my first festival — the Mozart Academy Piano Festival — where I won the Best Musicality and Interpretation Award. That same year, I took another ABRSM exam and earned a Merit.
In 2025, I will soon be taking the ABRSM Grade 5 exam. In April 2025, I participated in the ADS International Gulsin Onay Piano Festival and Competition in Izmir, where I received the Success in Interpreting the Classical Era Award.
Today, I continue to take lessons with my teacher Demet Kivrak, and my passion for playing the piano grows stronger every day. Music has become an essential part of who I am — a source of joy, discipline, and self-expression. I hope to keep improving my technique and interpretation, and to share my music with more people in the future. For me, the piano is not only an instrument but also a lifelong companion on my journey of learning and creativity.
Watch Alishia Su Overton perform La Tarantella by J. F. F. Burgmüller on the piano for the 2025 Global Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.