A six-year-old Chinese-American boy is being called a piano prodigy. He beat out thousands of applicants from around the world in a prestigious musical competition this year. Winning the prize got him to New York's famous Carnegie Hall, where he was among the youngest to perform. Karina Huber reports.

Visiting New York City for the first time is an exciting experience for many, but for William Zhang, he has an extra reason to smile. In a few days, he would be playing Carnegie Hall. The 6-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, won first prize in the American Protege International Piano and Strings Competition. What got him there was this amateur video taken by his father. He's playing Mozart, one of his favorite composers along with Bach and Chopin.

WILLIAM ZHANG, WINNER AMERICAN PROTEGE INT'L PIANO & STRINGS COMPETITION "Music brings me happiness and I want to bring the audience happiness."

William's parents say he always responded to music.

JULIE WANG WILLIAM ZHANG'S MOTHER "Whenever there is music in the house, he jumps and moves so we just feel he loves music."

When he was just two they bought him a twenty-thousand-dollar piano. Their friends thought they were crazy. But they had a hunch he would take a liking to the instrument. This video was taken when William was one. Zhang's parents wanted him to start lessons at two or three but everyone told them he was too young.

JULIE WANG WILLIAM ZHANG'S MOTHER "We feel very frustrated. He can punch the little key and make some beautiful sound and why don't you teach him? But no, nobody wants to teach him."

So his parents, who didn't play instruments themselves, taught him to play baby songs. Then at four and a half, he began piano lessons. Today he practices up to three hours a day.

GUANGYU ZHANG WILLIAM ZHANG'S FATHER "It's like the best team: parents, student and teacher. We work together."  

All that work paid off. In January, the family found out William had won the competition. The news came in an email.

JULIE WANG WILLIAM ZHANG'S MOTHER "I didn't want to tell them because I wanted to make sure. Did I look at it wrong? So I blew it up on my desktop computer screen and checked. First place. And then I told them. We were just so thrilled. So excited."

Then came the big day when William performed at Carnegie Hall. He played his favorite - Mozart. One of the youngest to play - his performance was flawless.

KARINA HUBERNEW YORK "While in New York, the family has met with Juilliard and other prestigious music institutions to get advice on how best to cultivate William's talent."

William isn't yet sure where he's headed but says piano is definitely in his future.

WILLIAM ZHANG, WINNER AMERICAN PROTEGE INT'L PIANO & STRINGS COMPETITION "Maybe I want to be an artist, maybe a pianist, or maybe composer or piano teacher."

Whatever he decides, William is already firmly on the path to a bright future. Karina Huber, CGTN, York.