Riley Ngo began studying piano at age 6 with Carrie Kalmakoff, completing ARCT in Piano Performance with distinction at age 14 under the tutelage of Colleen Athparia. A regular scholarship and award winner, Riley enjoys playing the piano as a soloist as well as collaborating with fellow musicians. He played harpsichord with the Mount Royal Conservatory Sinfonia at the Winter Fantasia concert in 2013. As an award-winning piano duo, he and his partner placed first at the Canadian Music Competition in 2015 and went on to win first place at the North West International Piano Ensemble Competition in 2016. The piano duo won first place again at the Canadian Music Competition in 2018 and 2019, while Riley’s piano quartet placed 3rd in the same competition that year. Riley debuted as a soloist with the Calgary Civic Symphony in 2022 playing Saint-Saens’ Piano Concerto No. 5.
Riley is a supervisor at the Calgary Arts Summer School’s piano program. He is also an avid accompanist, having accompanied advanced level RCM string exams. Riley believes every piece of music tells a story. He hopes to inspire students to bring music off the page by developing a balance between good technique and a vivid imagination. He looks forward to sharing his love of music with the next generation of aspiring musicians.
Riley Ngo can teach lessons in English and French.