Child Prodigy

I was browsing YouTube and just discovered 5-year old Evan Le from California. He posted this on his YouTube channel on Dec. 20, 2016. He also has a website where you can watch him perform the Mozart Concerto #8 in C Major (with cadenza) with a full orchestra. It comes as no surprise to learn that Evan is already winning competitions in the 12 and under category.

I cut and pasted the following from his website because it's so amazing: 

ABOUT EVAN

Evan Le (officially Evan Duy Quoc Le) was born on May 31, 2011 in Torrance, California.

Born to Vietnamese parents who do not have any background in music, Evan’s musical journey was not initiated.

It just so happened that Evan’s older brother, Brandon — who was around five at the time — wanted to buy a toy keyboard and was granted his wish. When the boys opened the toy to play Brandon pressed the keys randomly and loudly. To the contrary, Evan — who was two and a half years old — pressed the keys one by one with pauses in between, and listened intently to the sounds coming from the toy. He then pressed the keys again, but this time he turned to his dad and asked “What do you call this?” after pressing each key.

When Evan’s love for music became too apparent, the toy keyboard was replaced by an electric piano. Almost immediately he became obsessed with the piano and spent much time playing it. By the time Evan was three, he was able to listen to simple nursery rhymes and play very similar tunes on the piano, at first with one hand and then with both.

In December of 2014 Evan received his first piano lesson at VRMA from Ms. Tuong Van Nguyen. He is currently under the tutelage of Miss Claudia Yun Xi (La Palma, CA, USA).

Besides having perfect pitch, Evan reads and memorizes music pieces incredibly fast. In addition, his ability to compose has amazed his teachers.

Evan likes to go to local parks, theme parks, and children’s museums. His hobbies include playing chess and building with Lego blocks.

His favorite subject is Math. It’s a common occurrence for Evan to thank his mom/dad when they give him a packet of math problems to solve; Evan is always eager and ready to learn.

Above all else, Evan loves to compose. Even before he started piano lessons, he would come to the piano many times during the day and play his own tunes with both hands. Whenever he wanted to show his piano skills to others he always insisted on playing his own music rather than music pieces he’s learned. This passion to create continues to this day!