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A former Winchester resident has placed sixth in the world’s most prestigious piano competition.
William Yang, 24, finished sixth last month at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw – nine months after winning one of the top American contests, the 2025 National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami.
It was the culmination of 20 years of practice.
“I started when I was around 4 1/2 in Minnesota,” Yang said. “When I was around 12 years old, I moved to Winchester to continue my education with different teachers in the Boston area, until I graduated from high school.”
He continued his education at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and recently graduated as a Kovner Fellow from Juilliard. He is currently a graduate student at Yale School of Music.
Yang’s early years in Minnesota laid a strong foundation for his future. Paul Wirth, Yang’s first piano teacher and artistic director of the Wirth Center for the Performing Arts, described him as a kid with “very genetically fast fingers and a great love for the piano.”
For seven years, Wirth watched Yang develop into “a world-class performer in the making.” At age 10, Yang performed the Grieg concerto with the Southeast Iowa Symphony and Chopin’s La ci darem la mano variations with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra – performances that amazed everyone.
Yang’s early inspiration also came from pianist André Watts, who took an interest in him. Wirth recalls traveling with Yang to Indiana University, where Watts welcomed the 10-year-old, heard him play and offered guidance.
“That was a big thing for William to be inspired by and taken under the mentorship of Andre Watts,” Wirth said. “That was his first big thing to celebrate. That’s for sure. It was wonderful for him and for all of us.”
Wirth said that teaching Yang was an exhilarating experience. He recalled a memorable moment when Yang received a 7-foot Steinway for his lessons.
“He smiled from ear to ear all day long. He was a kid with the best toy any kid could ever have,” he said.
At 12, Yang moved to Winchester to study under renowned pianist and New England Conservatory professor Alexander Korsantia. Yang attended McCall Middle School after being homeschooled until the sixth grade, and spent his freshman year at Winchester High School before his family moved to Natick.
“It was actually my first time really being in the public school system. It was nice being in a sort of environment where everyone knew each other. The high school was a little different. It’s larger.” Yang said. “Trying to balance the school side with the music side was something that I didn’t have much experience with…So it was definitely all new to me.”
Korsantia said teaching Yang was an “adventurous time.” He said Yang had analytical abilities for performing music and an incredible capacity to understand polyphonic music, multiple melodies playing at the same time, at a young age.
“He’s not very talkative,” Korsantia said. “But something inside you always would tell you that in everything that he doesn’t express in words, he actually learns it, and learns it in a deeper way than many other students.”
Yang studied with Korsantia for six years before heading to the Juilliard School to study with Robert McDonald. Now, he is back to studying with Korsantia at Yale.
“He’s the same William, all good old same William. But he has much longer wings.” Korsantia said. “He’s flying high. His repertoire is tremendous. His perfectionism, which always existed, but now it is supported by deep aesthetic ideals and beliefs.”
Competitions have played a central role in Yang’s journey.
“Competition is a part of the world,” Yang said. “The Miami competition changed my life tremendously. So far, Warsaw seems to be on the same path as well.”
His first competition at age 7 or 8 in Minnesota was playing a part in a concerto. It was his first time interacting with judges and being on stage.
“When you’re young, it’s such a neat experience — wide eyes and wonders,” he said.
Yang’s life is now a whirlwind of performances and preparation for future projects.
“I have a recording contract from the Miami competition that will be done in 2026. Recently, I just got done with a couple of performances,” he said. “Hopefully, more in the future, there’s some already scheduled, and hopefully more will come in. Hopefully, it can just be somewhat performing here and there.”
For Wirth, hearing that Yang had won the national Chopin competition — and placed sixth on the world stage — felt surreal.
“I wasn’t on cloud nine. I was on cloud 11,” he said. “These competitions are the apex of the piano world.”
In Minnesota, Wirth and fellow longtime supporters still gather whenever Yang returns.They call themselves “the Yang Gang” — a small circle that has followed him for nearly two decades. This September, Yang returned to give a master class.
Beyond competitions, Yang emphasizes the support that has enabled his success.
“It starts with your family and then financial support, whether that’s from the beginning or scholarships later,” he said. “Then there are teachers, maybe the most important people, who guide you not just in music but in life as well.”
Today, Yang continues to perform nationally and internationally, building a career that his teachers say has only just begun.
“We’re incredibly proud of him,” Wirth said. “We just wish him all the best as his career now soars.”
Aayushi Datta is a journalism student at Boston University. This story is part of a partnership between Winchester News and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
