PRIZE-WINNER: What does a child prodigy look like? This one has long, wavy pre-Raphaelite hair; she has slightly gappy teeth and glittering brown eyes; she is wearing a purple hooded DKNY top and black trousers and is carrying a priceless Stradivarius in the same relaxed way most girls of her age carry Topshop bags.
Jennifer Pike is 12 years old. On Sunday, her life changed, probably forever, when she became the youngest person to win the BBC's Young Musician of the Year award with a breathtaking performance of Mendelssohn's violin concerto on a Stradivarius borrowed from the Royal Academy of Music and with minor assistance from her lucky mascot, a fluffy cat called Kitty. Three of the other finalists were 19, the fourth 20. Perhaps the competition should be renamed the BBC's Really Young Musician of the Year award.
"I remember Jennifer saying last year how she thought that all musicians were very tall," her mother recalls with some amusement. Not particularly tall, just fully grown.
Yesterday, Jennifer and her family were reaping the mixed rewards of her extraordinary success. Before she even got into the shower she did an interview - and they carried on all day until she performed for BBC Radio 3's In Tune before travelling back home to Cheshire and some sort of normality.
Sitting in a cafe in Broadcasting House, surrounded by her family, this child - and it's easy to forget that she is a child - seems remarkably unfazed by events. "I feel dazed, as though I'm in some sort of dream," she says with excitement. "I was really, really surprised when they announced I had won. It was just a shock. The Duchess of Kent had to escort me back to my seat. It's very, very exciting." So how did she feel the morning after? "This morning I thought it might be quite a relief to have a bit of a lie in, do a little bit of practice, then go off home." As if. Her father's mobile began ringing at 9.30 a.m. and didn't stop.
"We never thought about her as being a child prodigy," says her Polish-born mother, Teresa, who doesn't play an instrument. "You never think it could be your own child. The fact that she's become Young Musician of the Year means that she has achieved something, but it's by no means the end of it. Jennifer, I think, is going to be kept down to earth by her sister. "
Her sister, Alexandra (15) is a likeable but awkward presence throughout our interview. She and Jennifer bicker from time to time as we talk. For example, I ask Jennifer if she ever listens to pop music and who she likes. "Robbie Williams. I like Robbie Williams," Jennifer says eagerly. "You don't like Robbie Williams," snipes Alexandra. "I love Robbie Williams," retorts Jennifer. Refreshingly normal sisterly stuff, though it must be hard having a child prodigy for a sister.
Jennifer first picked up a violin the week before her fifth birthday. She doesn't remember it particularly, but her father does. Dr Jeremy Pike (46) is head of composition at the internationally renowned Chetham School of Music in Manchester where Jennifer is a pupil. He knew instantly that she was going to have a talent for the violin. "It was something about the way she wasn't afraid of the instrument. She had a very natural way of drawing the bow across the string."
She raced through the usual violin exams reaching grade eight at the age of 10. By then, it was clear that hers was no ordinary talent. "There is a gift. I couldn't say where it comes from. She has got this amazing ability to express the music," says her father, gazing proudly at his younger daughter. Earlier this year she won the Emanuel Hurwitz prize for British violinists and in April became the youngest winner (fourth prize) in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in France.
At what price so much success so young? Sometimes the price is great. In one extreme and particularly grisly case in 1980, a 23-year-old musician, described by his teacher as "probably the best, most promising, most sensitive and most musical guitarist in the world" won the first Segovia international guitar competition. Six months later he cut off a finger from his left hand in an attempt to destroy his career, hoping that people would leave him alone.
Rosemary Pickering, chief executive of the Young Concert Artists' Trust, a non-profit agency for outstanding young classical musicians, is well aware of the dangers. "It's fantastic that she's won this competition because it recognises her ability, but I think it's also quite daunting.
"She will be offered a lot of engagements which she's probably not equipped to handle. She will have to be happy to say no. It's a wonderful feather in her cap but she must just go back to school and do her exams."
For the moment, Jennifer and her family seem well able to deal with the attention. "We know all about these musicians before who have had problems. We are aware of what can happen," she says. "We know our responsibility is to make sure she carries on being a normal child," says her father. "It's very important not to accept too much work." "And you have to keep the enjoyment going," interrupts Jennifer. Her ambition is to become a professional soloist and chamber musician, but she is also passionate about art and writing.