Pianist Yuanfan Yang BBC Young Musician of the Year Finalist 2012 & 2010

Yuanfan winning the keyboard category 2010

Those of you who watched  the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition Final this year would have noticed a familiar face - Yuanfan Yang, twice finalist in the prestigious competition. He was up against category winners in other instrument classes such as woodwind, percussion and strings.

 Just how difficult is this competition, well to enter, you have to have achieved Grade 8 piano (equivalent level to a single movement in Beethoven's Moonlight sonata or Pathetique sonata), and applicants for this entire competition run in the hundreds.

First, take a look at his background and profile this emerging talent.
 
Profile of Yuanfan at the BBC Young Musician Piano Competition Final 2010

Here's Yuanfan performing Grieg's Piano Concerto at the 2012 Competition Final Here's Yuanfan performing
 Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 in A minor, S. 244 Rákóczi-Marsch (Youtube) 
Early signs of talent: Playing back tunes on the piano age 6
Started piano lessons: Age 6
Finished Grade 8 Piano: Age 8 (mark Distinction, 130 marks out of 150)
Dip ABRSM (Performers diploma): Age 10
Currently studying (as of 2012): Chethams School of Music (studies piano under Murray McLachlan and composition with Dr. Jeremy Pike)


Some competitive highlights: 


2012
BBC Young Musician of the Year Finalist & Keyboard Category Winner
Junior Group Prize of Golden Key International Piano Composition Competition

2011
1st Prize and the Overall Award in the EPTA UK Composition Competition 2011

2010
EPTA UK Piano Competition (European Piano Teachers Association)
RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) James Mottram International Piano Competition (under 19 category)
BBC Young Musician of the Year Finalist & Keyboard Category Winner

2009
Manchester International Piano Competition for Young Pianists (age 16 and under category)
Chetham’s Yamaha Piano Competition and the 2009 Ryszard Bakst Chopin Prize (junior division)

Yuanfan's Blog and Official Website

Amazing pianists - austistic blind savant Derek Paravicini - musical genius!

Source: wikipedia

Derek Paravicini is blind, has autism. He has the skills classified as a musical savant, which means he can play any piece back perfectly he has ever heard (as most savants can). This reminds me of Mozart's superb memory when he notated the Gregorio Allegri's Miserere from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel music after just one hearing. He exceeds the skills of most musical savants, because not only can he play back any piece, but he can also play the song in another particular style (reggae, jazz) or particular pianist (George Shearing, etc.) He played on the BBC radio show "In Tune" he performed Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks in the style of Tango.Watch the following videos to see Derek Paravicini's remarkable talent in action.

Derek was featured in the 2010 Stan Lee's Superhumans in a jazz challenge showdown, with 95% accuracy! And then performs "Yes we have no Bananas" in the style of Scott Joplin in the key of Bb on the fly! See the video and be amazed.



Here's a trailer of Derek Paravicini highlighting his previous performance for London's Southbank


Derek Paravicini on US documentary 60" Minutes. In this documentary he can change any tune into the style of jazz pianists Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson.


Excerpt from Nova - Musical Minds (Oliver Sach's documentary)


Excerpt from The Musical Genius - see what happens in Derek's mind when he listens to emotional content in music

Piano Prodigies Ying-Shan Tseng - Blind 8 year old child prodigy from South Africa

South African Taiwanese girl Ying-Shan Tseng is blind yet this child prodigy performs Tchaikovsky and Mozart piano concertos at the tender  age of 8. I read about Tseng from an article in the UK's Daily Mail newspaper. How does she learn music, you may ask? The sheet music or score is in Braille music format.

About Ying-Shan, she started playing at the age of 4 and has won many young junior piano competitions in South Africa. Her piano teacher - Elise Van Harken (sp?) realised her talent when she learned within one month, songs that normal sighted kids learned in several months. She's an inspiration to her teacher, with her amazing perseverance and dedication

South African news - Tv Show - Carte Blanche. This following clip tells her story.



2009 News Video on Ying - Shan


Her most recent performance on Youtube - in May 2011


A recital showcase age 7, in South Africa - later in the video she performs the theme to the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto.