10-year-old Milton pianist releases album of original compositions

MILTON, Ga. - He’s appeared on national television, performed at Carnegie Hall, and released an album of his original piano compositions.

Oh, and did we mention he’s only 10 years old?

We’re talking about incredible piano prodigy William Zhang, of course, whom we first featured back in 2020. Since then, the Milton fifth-grader wrote most of the pieces featured on his album "Original Compositions for Piano: Sonatas and More, 2019-2021." That said, writing music is nothing new for the young artist.

"When I was four, I improvised a piece called ‘Black Night.’ I didn’t know how to improvise properly then. So, it was sort of just very basic," says Zhang.

Of course, the pieces on his new album are anything but basic. The three-part "Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor" evokes the emotions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, as seen through the eyes (or, goggles) of an 8-year-old.

"The first few months in the pandemic, we were super-nervous," he says. "We only went to the grocery store once — the Kroger — and I wore swimming goggles!"

The maturity in his music makes it easy to forget that William Zhang is still just a kid; he loves building with LEGO bricks and playing Minecraft, and drew the pictures of famous composers which line his practice room. But unlike other elementary schoolers, William has also performed at Carnegie Hall. It was back in 2019, and the performer says it all went by in a blur.

"I do remember one snapshot that I was playing there, but I remember at backstage, because after me there were other people playing," the pianist remembers. "I really enjoyed their performances because I sort of conducted."

Play-conducting backstage or playing piano onstage, it’s increasingly clear that William Zhang is becoming something of a Mozart for the modern age. To hear more of William’s music, click here.