Ria Honda is a student at the Academy of Music Institute of Chicago, under the tutelage of Almita and Roland Vamos. Previously a student of Margaret Pressley and Jan Sloman, she was recipient of the Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Scholarship. She has won awards at competitions including the MTNA competition, Coeur d’Alene Symphony Competition, Sammamish Symphony Competition, and Cooper International Competition. She has performed with the Seattle Festival Orchestra, Cascade Symphony, and Seattle Symphony. Ria has attended the Meadowmount School of Music and Musica Mundi Course, Belgium, and is currently in 10th grade at New Trier High School.

“I am truly honoured to be included in this gathering of some of the finest musicians from around the world! I believe that generally speaking, the Menuhin Competition is a celebration of all the incredible talents of our time, but on a more personal level, I think it is an opportunity for me to grow as a musician, and as a person. I hope that from this experience, I can be inspired by the jury, the performers, and the other competitors, and learn how to improve musically, and humanly. Furthermore, I hope that I can go home as a more developed and refined performer. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the musicians there and I can’t wait to go to London for the first time!” (Ria Honda)