A tale of two world-class Twin Cities pianists

When Evren Ozel was 8 and William Yang 6, they met while sharing a piano teacher, Paul Wirth. That led Ozel, who grew up in Minneapolis, and the Eden Prairie-bred Yang to chat about what it would be like to become a professional pianist.

“William and I used to talk on the phone about the Chopin competition when we were really little,” Ozel said. “It was this thing that we always looked toward. Some kind of goalpost, maybe.”

That would be the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, arguably the world’s most prestigious battle on the ivories. It takes place every five years and has launched the careers of many a classical piano star, such as Martha Argerich and Garrick Ohlsson.

In 2020, Ozel qualified for it by finishing second at the U.S. National Chopin Competition in Miami, competing in Warsaw the following year. This past January, Yang finished first in Miami and is headed to the international competition, which is Oct. 2-23.

Yang’s preparation for it includes a sold-out, Sunday afternoon Chopin Society recital at Macalester College’s Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. As for Ozel, he finished third in June at North America’s most celebrated piano competition, the Van Cliburn in Fort Worth, Texas, and will perform a Chopin Society recital on Oct. 12.

The two Twin Cities natives spoke via Zoom recently. The 26-year-old Ozel spoke from Boston — where he recently received his artist diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music — and Yang, 24, from New Haven, Conn. — where he’s beginning the next phase of his graduate studies at the Yale School of Music.

Both said they were about 10 when they first contemplated becoming a professional and spent about seven years studying with Wirth. Their paths later crossed in Boston’s New England Conservatory’s prep program.

“No matter how many times mentors or teachers say, ‘Don’t think of it as a competition; think of it as a chance to perform and be onstage,’ there’s no way, for me personally,” Ozel said. “There’s something there that feels more high stakes.”

He doesn’t consider nervousness to be bad and said that it adds a little spark and energy to his performance. “It’s OK to slightly panic,” he said.

Yang agreed, adding that a sense of perspective was important for him.

“I just try to maintain my humility and realize that there are all these great pianists who have played this music better than I’ll ever be able to play in my life,” Yang said.

Ozel called the experience of performing in Warsaw’s Chopin contest the most terrifying one of his life. In addition, because of the pandemic, he “went from zero concerts ever to being in Warsaw at the Chopin Competition,” which overwhelmed him.

“The Polish audience is incredibly supportive and welcoming,” Ozel said. “They love Chopin to the nth degree, and they love every contestant, no matter what.”

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

What: Works by Frederic Chopin.

When: 3 p.m. Sun. Mairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 Macalester St., St. Paul.

Tickets: Sold out.

When: 3 p.m. Oct. 12. Mairs Concert Hall, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, 130 Macalester St., St. Paul.