Arthur D. Montzka Young Artists
Concerto Competition:
2018 Winner
William Tan
Thirteen-year-old cellist William Tan is a seventh-grader at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (UCLS). He began his musical studies on cello at age 4 with Sally Gross and piano at age 5 with Kate Nir. He was accepted into the cello studio of Hans Jorgen Jensen at the age of 9 and has studied with Professor Jensen since then. Additional influential teachers include music teacher Sooka Wang and cellist Oleksa Mycyk. During summers, William has continued his cello studies at various prestigious programs around the country, including Music@Menlo’s Young Performers Program and Meadowmount School of Music Summer Program.
William has earned accolades in numerous competitions. In addition to winning the Arthur D. Montzka Young Artists Concerto Competition, he won the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers in January 2018 and will solo with the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago. In December 2017, he won the Junior Open Division of the Walgreens National Concerto Competition. He has also been a multiple division winner of numerous other competitions including the Society of American Musicians, the Music Festival in Honor of Confucius, and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Illinois State competitions; and he took second prize in the ENKOR International Music Competition in 2017.
In the first week of March, William will be featured on an episode of From The Top, the most popular weekly one-hour classical-music program on National Public Radio. The NPR program spotlights America’s best young classical musicians and is hosted by acclaimed pianist Christopher O’Riley.
William is also a member of Cellissimo, a touring cello ensemble that has performed concerts in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Canada. Besides music, William is a member of the UCLS Maroons soccer team, plays competitive chess, and is an avid reader.
