Sophie Gao

Sophie Gao, born in Tucson, Arizona, began her piano studies at age of five with Mrs. Ann Taylor. From 2016 until April 2021, Sophie studied with Dr. Svetlana Arakelova at the Rachmaninoff Music Academy of Tucson. Since April 2021, Sophie has been studying with Dr. Jinghua Pu. Since 2017, Sophie has won several prizes at various competitions. She won third and fourth prizes at the Merit Scholarship Competition by Tucson Music Teachers Association in 2017 and 2019, respectively, as well as Medalist and Distinguished Medalist at the James R. Anthony Honors Competition by the Arizona State Music Teachers Association in 2017 and 2018. She also won third prize at the 35th Annual Civic Orchestra of Tucson Young Artists’ Competition in 2019. In Spring 2020, Sophie was a second place winner at the International Music Talent Competition organized by American Protégé (https://americanprotege.com/talent2020s/). Sophie loves music, and she also plays violin. Sophie is an 8th grader who attends Basis Tucson North.

You can find Sophie’s 2021 Romantic Music Competition Piano performance here.