Daniel K. ’30 may only be 12 years old, but he has already made good on that old adage, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?... Practice.” The Pennington Middle School seventh-grader recently won first place at the American Fine Arts Festival’s (AFAF) 2024 Music International "Golden Era of Romantic Music” Competition in the 11-14 age group. That victory secured him a spot in a Winners’ Recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, where Daniel performed last weekend. 

Established in 2003 with the goal of “promoting musical education and fostering the study and understanding of classical music,” the AFAF organizes performance competitions and various musical festivals each year, offering young musicians the opportunity to learn and grow from experiences at some of the best concert halls in New York City; in addition to Carnegie Hall, students perform at the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall.

According to Dr. Donald Dolan, teacher of music at Pennington, Daniel’s talent has not gone unnoticed by his peers; the young pianist sets an incredibly high standard on campus, particularly with his solo piano repertoire in between regular rehearsals. Daniel is a member of both the jazz band and the orchestra, where he plays the keyboard.

When Daniel first arrived at Pennington, his parents looked to Dolan to help guide their son’s musical development. Dolan was able to pair Daniel with Pennington’s private lesson’s teacher Larissa Korkina. This program connects student musicians with professional musicians for weekly one-on-one lessons. After about a month of these sessions, Daniel entered the AFAF’s competition at Korkina’s suggestion. It was important to both Daniel and his parents that he take the next steps on his musical journey by entering competitions outside of School and connecting with peer musicians as part of the broader musical community. Those private lessons gave Daniel the composure and confidence to perform on one of the most celebrated stages in the world, and there’s no telling where it will take him next.