5:00William Yang, 10, of Eden Prairie describes himself as "pretty much a classical purist." He's a prodigy who recently played with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra, and after auditioning at a New York City event with young musicians from all over the world, William has earned a spot at June's Gina Bachauer Junior & Young Artists International Piano Competitions in Salt Lake City. No, his mom -- who seems a little shocked by his musical development -- played no piano music for William when he was in the womb.
"When he first heard the piano sound [around the age of 4] he was amazed," said his mom, Rong Li. "Just a wonder. He kept on playing and playing. He cannot stop. None of us are pianists," she said of herself, her husband, Junqi Yang, and their other son, Michael, 17.
I thought I had better get to Yang before CBS's Lesley Stahl hears about the prodigy and swoops in for a "60 Minutes" interview. William played a couple of classical selections for me at Roseville's Schmitt Music Center. When asked if he ever misbehaves, William seemed befuddled by the question. He looks like such a perfect little gentleman in his bow tie, but he's a kid and sometimes kids are naughty, right? "Not really," he said in his case. And that was confirmed by Li, who said, "He's a very good boy."
Mom's take was seconded by Sue Freeman Dopp, keyboard manager at Roseville's Schmitt: "I've been totally impressed with William [since he was 5] on every single level. Not just as a musical talent. He's a sweetheart. He's just an all-around good person and he's not full of himself. Hopefully he never will be."
As you can see at startribune.com/video, William remained thoroughly gentlemanly and good humored even while disapproving of my musical taste.
Q What do you enjoy about playing the piano?
A I love it because it makes me feel very calm and peaceful, which is what I like all the time.
Q Do your fingers ever hurt from practicing?
