At the beginning of January, William Ge ’25 placed fifth in the National Chopin Piano Competition — an event often regarded as the “Olympics of piano.” Simultaneously, he is a vital member of the Andover music community, partaking in chamber music groups and joint performances with Andover’s orchestras.
Placing in the competition was no small feat. With a repertoire spanning three hours and encompassing 17 works, Ge knew that technical mastery alone wouldn’t suffice. He recalls the support that kept him going and the conditioning it took to endure the performance rounds.
“At this level of competition, technical problems and notes and phrasings and all of these different aspects of physical play are no longer enough… It’s really about thinking [about] the details, reading Chopin’s letters, and looking into the source notes on the score. I actually did a lot of that… I was actually doing some jogging [and] some bodyweight training to make sure that I could physically make it through one round. Because it’s one thing to just get through 20 minutes and a piece, but it’s another thing to really bring together a 50-minute program,” said Ge.
For Ge, the emotional toll of the competition was palpable. He described suspenseful nights spent refreshing the competition website, nervous to receive results. Despite his doubts, Ge advanced, driven by anxiety and determination.
“After every round, I was sure that I was going to go home… I would have this sinking feeling and thinking I really don’t want it to be over for me, but I feel that my performance might have not been enough to make it to the next round… But without fail, every single time, it was both a reassurance of sorts because, of course, there’s a side to me that thinks, I’ve got to make it to the final round, and it’s not over; you cannot rest, you have to keep going back to the practice room and prepare the next round and prepare the next round,” said Ge.
Amidst the pressure, Ge found joy in camaraderie with fellow pianists. While sharing a meal with another finalist, Nathaniel Zhang, the two spent time reflecting on their journey to professional competition.
“Nathaniel Zhang, my good friend, was the bronze medalist. I have known him for a couple of years, and he was actually the [only] other 17-year-old in the finals, so I got hotpot with him the night before the finals, and we were talking about how far we’ve come in the past year… When we were 16, and we had met at a prior competition… We were kind of nobodies. But now, [we are] in what is effectively our professional debut because this is a professional competition, not a junior competition. We broke through that initial level,” said Ge.
Ge’s success is not solely defined by competition; he claims that the vibrant Andover community has enriched his artistry. Unlike other pianists who spend hours alone in practice rooms, Ge has embraced the opportunity to engage with people, building connections not only as a musician but also as an individual.
“What blows me away is that these people are not only extraordinary musicians, but genuine, friendly, and extraordinary people. I think that at the heart of it is what has really driven me to be my best, not as just an artist or a musician, but as a person. And to be a whole three-dimensional person instead of just being a pianist and putting myself into that box of what a pianist entails… Inherently, piano is a solo instrument by nature. I feel that having the experience of the community here and just connecting with so many extraordinary people has definitely informed my artistry in a way that I don’t think any other place could have,” said Ge.
As a result of these meaningful connections, Ge has seen immense support in his musical journey. During the National Chopin Competition, his nerves were eased by encouraging messages from both friends and teachers.
“During the competition, after the semi-final round, I was feeling nervous… my friends, Cathy Ma and Tianyi Gu, rallied an absurd amount of my friends who all recorded encouraging messages, and it was compiled into this big long video… I knew that my friends were amazing people, but I was not expecting this level of support. It was not only that…[but] emails from my teachers, from faculty members, and from my piano teachers,” said Ge.
Looking ahead, William aspires to participate in the International Chopin Competition. Yet, he remains grounded and realistic about the challenges of pursuing a music career. Regardless of the outcome, William has a goal to make classical music more accessible and impactful.
“The next immediate goal for me is the international Chopin competition. But I do know one thing: I definitely want to be at the forefront of developments in terms of classical music… I definitely know that no matter what I do, I want to try and change the field for the better, make it something more accessible to a wider community, and, you know, encourage more people to partake in it,” said Ge.
