Meet Brigitte Xie, the 4-year-old American piano prodigy who learned Beethoven during lockdown and earned a Carnegie Hall debut, and became the youngest music winner

About a year after Brigitte Xie took up the piano, the four-year-old had become the youngest winner of the prestigious Elite International Music Competition.

When she sat on the piano bench, Brigitte's feet dangled above the ground, so her parents placed a stool underneath, as per an NPR report. Her sheet music towered above her head as she played.

Brigitte could read music and play Beethoven's Sonatina in F Major.


When her mother, Nicole Sun, asked if she liked playing the piano and whether it was fun, Brigitte shyly looked down before replying, "Yeah, fun," as quoted in a Reuters report.

Brigitte began piano lessons during lockdown

Brigitte's father, Tao Xie of Ridgefield, Connecticut, signed her up for piano lessons on Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdown to give her something to do.

"At the beginning, I never expected she's going to be a prodigy or anything," Tao said, adding, "But yeah, it turns out it's amazing," as quoted by Reuters.

Nicole, who was also a pianist, said she was deeply moved the first time she heard her daughter play a piano piece.

Brigitte's teacher, Felicia Feng Zhang, said she began teaching her when she was two months past her third birthday.

Zhang said, "From the lessons, I observed she has a curious mind, and she loved to learn," as quoted by Reuters.

Zhang was amazed by Brigitte's progress

Zhang recalled giving Brigitte instructions involving different notes and hand movements. The three-year-old was able to make the required moves quickly. Zhang said she found this remarkable for a child of that age.

She also described music as a language, explaining that musicians use their fingers to interpret what they see and feel.

Her Carnegie Hall performance was postponed

Brigitte's victory in the Elite International Music Competition earned her a spot to perform at Carnegie Hall through the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition.

She was originally scheduled to perform in November 2020. The performance was postponed to November 2021 and then to November 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brigitte also enjoyed toys and books

Outside of music, Brigitte enjoyed playing with toys and reading books.