12-year-old award-winning Vancouver pianist donating $30K to share music with other kids

Audrey Sung may be only 12 years old, but you’d never guess it by her piano playing. She can easily perform a complicated melody on the piano, a gift she is looking to share with other kids.

Vancouver-born Sung has been making music since the age of six. Now when she sits down at a piano bench, her fingers move feverishly over the keys.

“Piano is a major aspect of my life and it just lets all the feelings out,” Sung told CTV National News. “I just love practicing in general because I always love music.”

The piano has long been a place where she feels completely at ease.

“It really expresses my emotion sometimes,” she said. “And piano always helped me with my stress.”

Her talent for the piano has taken her around the world, performing in international competitions and festivals.

One performance brought her to New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall.

“I was really nervous,” she said. “But I was really grateful I got a chance to play there.”

With all of her performances, she has collected thousands of dollars in prize money this year — funds she decided to give to other kids.

“I don’t want to spend it for myself, and I really want to help other people instead,” she said.

She's donating $30,000 to be split between three Canadian charities. I'm HIPpy helps kids living with hip disorders. The other two, Pacific Rim International Music & Education Society and the Royal Conservatory, help children receive better access music education. 

“I hope that the fund helps children learn more about music and give more opportunities to them,” Sung said.

Taking the gift of music — and paying it forward.  

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung