Kotryna Vaivilavicius had only been playing the piano for roughly 13 months before she walked into Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton Nov. 19 of last year for her first music competition.

“It was a small, cramped room with a piano and a judge,” said the 8-year-old St. Mary Academy student. “At first, I was just sitting there for about two minutes, doing nothing, which was embarrassing, and then I finally asked, ‘Can I play now?’ and the judge said, ‘Oh, yes.