William Haak, a seventh grader at Thurston Middle School in Westwood, performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York on Saturday, January 27, as a second-place winner of the Crescendo International Competition. He performed the Grand Valse Brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 18, by Frederic Chopin. He will be performing for a second time at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, February 18, for having the highest score in the Royal Conservatory of Music Piano Exams for his grade level, among hundreds of students who took the exams.
William competed among the best and most promising students in the state to win these coveted awards. He has been playing piano for five years and studies with Rosanne Halin at the Merry Melody Music Academy. "Will is one of the hardest working students that we have. He accomplished all this with a short five years of learning piano. We are very proud of him and his achievements!", said Vivian Tsang, Program Director of Merry Melody Music Academy.
