Theodore Teng, pianist

Even before he began his formal piano lessons with A. Ramón Rivera at the age of five, Theo Teng had always been surrounded by classical music, provided by his three older siblings. From a young age, his playing has been rooted in the intuitive pursuit of beauty, expression, and connections to the written score anchored by focus and practice. He studies at the Rivers School Conservatory and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. He is also a member of the acclaimed NEC Prep Piano Seminars.

Theo earned his distinctions by winning the Rivers Symphony Concerto Competition twice in 2016 and 2018. These awards led to performances of the Kabalevsky Piano Concerto No. 3 and the Schumann Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 with the Rivers Symphony Orchestra in Boston’s Jordan Hall. In addition, he won first prize in the International Paderewski Piano Competition, and awards at the Steinway Junior Piano Competition, the MMTA Bay State Piano Contest, and the Young Artist Piano Competition.

An enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Theo has premiered compositions by Dr. Larry Thomas Bell, Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, Robert Paterson, and the 2018 MacArthur Fellow Matthew Aucoin at the annual Rivers Seminar on Contemporary Music.

Theo, now seventeen years old, is a senior at the Roxbury Latin School. Besides performing solo repertoire, he enjoys playing chamber music with friends, transposing video game soundtracks for the piano, and being a member of the cross country and debate teams at school. He is particularly interested in the positive impact music can make on people’s health and well-being, and gives community performances at senior centers with his Roxbury Latin friends. Over the summer, Theo met other musicians and experienced new styles and perspectives at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts.