Emma Hou

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

Emma was awarded 1st 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 1st place in the Elite International Music Competition and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall on February 16, 2025. In addition, she was a silver medalist in the Album of the Young Gifted Performers 2025 and was invited for 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. 

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