“I’m Stephen Cui and I was born in Toronto, Canada. I started my violin journey when I was 5 years old in the Royal Conservatory of Music. One year later when I was 6, I added piano into my music toolbox. In 2019, I moved to Bellevue, Washington (United States) with my family. After that, I have been studying violin and piano with Dr. Cristian Neacsu and Dr. Qian Yin Neacsu.
During my music learning journey, I have won several prizes and awards. In 2020, I won the third prize at the International Competition of Romantic Music in NYC. In 2022, I won the first prize of the “Golden Classical Music Awards” International Competition, and the silver star (piano) Music and Stars Award. I was also awarded the first class honors with distinction in Royal Conservatory Violin exam (level 7) and the first class honors in Royal Conservatory Piano exam (level 7).
My favorite music is from Succession, a popular television series. The music combines classical and modern elements with multiple instruments. I enjoying listening to it when I have some free time.
I practice for 2-3 hours every day and I do warm-up exercises before practicing, and I prepare for competitions by practicing and listening to the piece I am playing. I study with Dr. Cristian Neacsu and Dr. Qian Yin Neacsu.”