.jpg)
Riko Ando was born in Japan and has been playing the piano since the age of five. She is currently studying piano performance with Hang Li and Yoshikazu Nagai. Her previous teachers include Eiko Nagano and Sandra Wright Shen. Riko has won awards in numerous competitions including the Grand Prize in the ENKOR International Competition (2022), first prize in the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition Junior Division (2022), first prize in the United States Open Music Competition junior showcase category, second prize in the Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Annual Competition 14-17 age group (2022), first prize in the Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Piano Concerto Solo Competition in the 13-15 age group (2020), and second prize in the 72nd All Japan Student Music Concours in the Kitakyushu primary school category (2018). In 2020, Riko was nominated as a student of the Piano Academy founded by Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. In 2023, she was one of the 20 competitors in Hilton Head international piano competition. She has participated in master classes with acclaimed pianists including Yuja Wang, Dina Yoffe and Ruth Slenczynska.