Emma Hou

Emma Hou was born in Taiwan and moved to Austin, Texas, in 2019 as a fourth grader. She is currently a tenth grader and has been playing the piano for five years.

Emma was awarded First Place in the Trio category of the American Protégé International Piano & Strings Competition and performed at Carnegie Hall on December 23, 2023. She also won First Prize in the 2025 Los Angeles Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition and was invited to perform at Walt Disney Concert Hall on July 2. Additionally, Emma earned First Place in the Elite International Music Competition and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall again on February 16, 2025. She received Second Place in the United Stars Music Competition in the Summer Showcase Category, and was a Silver Medalist in the Album of the Young Gifted Performers 2025, for which she was invited to a professional recording session in New Jersey on May 3.

In 2024, Emma earned 3rd place in both the American Protégé International Romantic Music Competition—where she performed at Carnegie Hall on December 21, 2024—and the New York Young Virtuoso Competition. She also received 3rd place in the International Young Gifted Musicians Competition Passion of Music, held in Japan in 2025.

She received Superior ratings in both the Romantic/Contemporary Festival (2022) and the Jazz-Pop-Rock (JPR) category (2021), organized by the Austin District Music Teachers Association (ADMTA). Additionally, in 2024, she was awarded 3rd place in both the United Music Stars Competition and the Vivo International Music Competition.

Emma has also been recognized with gold medals on the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) Theory Test in both 2023 and 2024.