A 14-year-old Chinese-American pianist won the first prize in a prestigious international youth piano competition which concluded over the weekend.

George Li, from Lexington, Massachusetts, got the top prize in the inaugural Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition, with his stellar performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11.

It also brought Li 10,000 U.S. dollars in prize money, one of the largest awards offered by an international youth competition, along with concert engagements with orchestras in Beijing and Shanghai, China, and a full, four-year scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory.

Li, who was hailed as a "piano virtuoso," has performed publicly since he was 9 years old, gaining attention as a significant recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with orchestra.

He has appeared at the opening ceremony of Boston's new Institute of Contemporary Art, at the inauguration of President Tony Woodcock at New England Conservatory, and at Boston's Steinway Hall. He also played at New York's Carnegie Hall for the PBS series From the Top.

The Cooper Competition evolved from the Oberlin International Piano Competition and Festival, which began in 1995 and was held annually through 2008 at the Oberlin Conservatory. It aims to enhance educational opportunities for musicians ages 13 to 18 around the world.

John Chen, 14, who moved from Beijing, China, to the United States at age five, won the second prize, and Singapore-born Kate Liu, 16, won the third.

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