Trianna Takes on Carnegie Hall

As an arts and humanities school, Blake’s student body consists of many talented individuals. Many of these students also take their gifts beyond Blake’s walls, including talented 10th-grade pianist Trianna Ngo. Trianna had an experience of a lifetime when she performed at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, November 1st, 2025. She performed with her sister, 8th-grader Julianna Ngo, who plays the violin. The duo performed at Weill Recital Hall, a Carnegie Hall venue that hosts many concerts. The sisters played a portion of the Violin Sonata, Movement 1, K. 301, in G major by Mozart. Leading up to the performance, The Blake Beat spoke with Trianna to gain insight into how this experience came about.

With a long-time passion for music, Trianna has been taking lessons at the International School of Music for over 9 years. “The audition process was mostly my mom [handling] it,” Trianna revealed. She stated that her music teacher even chose the piece she’d play. “I’ve auditioned for this recital two times already, and I’ve gotten rejected, so this was my third time doing it…I got accepted this time,” said Trianna. Trianna believes this shows great progress in her piano skills. She said that “only 10 to 20 students get in,” ranging from all parts of music, including piano and vocals.

When asked about her younger sister, Trianna said, “This is actually our first duet together, so it’s definitely a newer process for both of us.” Traina had only performed once with others, in the 6th grade. She mentioned that her sister plays in the orchestra, so “It’s a bit easier for her to work with people.” Trianna had to learn to adjust to this performing aspect, sharing: “I’m glad I get to work with my sister, and I think that having a good relationship with her already has made the process easier.”

Trianna shared that she “usually performs two to three times a year, because the International School of Music…[puts on seasonal recitals].” Students can “just sign up for it and play a song, and it really helps with your performance skills.” Trianna has performed in front of large crowds before, but her upcoming Carnegie Hall performance is even bigger than ever before.

After the big Weill Recital Hall performance, The Blake Beat spoke with Trianna again to reflect on her recital. She shared that playing at Carnegie Hall was amazing, and highlighted that many well-trained musicians of all ages performed that night. She’s used to smaller recitals at her music school, but said that this particular recital was “definitely an experience that woke me up to what real musicians do for a lifetime.”

When asked what she learned from this experience, Trianna said the biggest takeaway was that even though she made a couple of mistakes, she recovered quickly. “I also learned that I can get nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten nervous for a solo, since I perform a lot and I’ve gotten used to it,” said Trianna. This performance was one of those moments where she truly got the butterflies. “[It was] to the point where I felt I was frozen, but I’m glad I was still able to keep playing and get through that…I’m still learning and growing,” Trianna said.

Overall, Trianna shared that she and her sister “ended up doing pretty well, and after our mistakes, we just started playing flawlessly.” When asked if she got to enjoy New York, Trianna excitedly recalled shopping in the city after the performance.

The Blake Beat congratulates Sophomore, Trianna Ngo, and her sister, Julianna Ngo, on an incredible performance! Special thanks to Trianna for sitting down with us to discuss this fantastic achievement.