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Weiyi Le seems like a typical 13-year-old - in most ways. He likes tennis, basketball, soccer and playing video games with his friends from Layton's Fairfield Junior High. He admits to loving math and science, but doesn't bother mentioning that he won three first-place awards in this year's State Science Olympiad.

A likable kid, Weiyi is not overly impressed with himself, but others are.

Besides being a good student with a pleasant personality, Weiyi is a piano virtuoso of world-class stature. He was the only Utahn chosen to compete in this week's Junior Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, which draws 11- to 13-year-old competitors to Salt Lake City from around the globe. The Bachauer's Young Artists competition, for pianists 14 to 18 years old, will follow next week.

Like the other competitors in his division, Weiyi will be performing 50 minutes of difficult solo repertoire, from memory, during two initial rounds of the competition. If he wins a spot in the final round, he'll perform the first movement of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 for a shot at the $7,000 first prize.

Weiyi says he isn't nervous. After all, he's a veteran of many competitions. And he says he won't be sad if he fails to advance to the final round.

But what if he does become a finalist - maybe even a winner? "I would be really happy and proud of myself," he said.

Weiyi practices two to three hours each day during the school year. Now that school is out, and with the competition approaching, he's playing the piano eight hours a day.

His father, Taowen Le, loves music, too, but had no chance to take lessons while growing up in China during the difficult days of the Cultural Revolution. Now, he and Cuilan Le, Weiyi's mother, make sure their children can pursue their dreams.

"We believe that if you are interested in something, it is much easier to cultivate that potential," Le said. "We want to give our kids the opportunity to develop their interests."

Weiyi said he appreciates being able to study music and compete internationally. "It's what I want to be doing," he said. "I feel like it is a really good challenge for me."

The format for Utah's Bachauer festivals and competitions has changed often over the past three decades. This year is the first time the Junior and Young Artist divisions have been held in the same year.

From now on, back-to-back Junior and Young Artist competitions will alternate in even-numbered years with the Bachauer's signature event: the Artists competition for adult pianists. In odd-numbered years, piano festivals featuring a roster of international artists will be featured, similar to the one held last June.

The Bachauer's previous Junior and Young Artist competitions have yielded a long list of pianists who went on to win competitions and acclaim as they grew older. Attending the competitions gives audience members a chance to spot tomorrow's stars while enjoying wonderful performances, said Paul Pollei, festival founder and director.

"Some people feel that the young artists play better than anybody," Pollei said. "They are technically proficient, and they don't have to worry about paying the rent."

In the Young Artist division, as with the Junior division, only one Utah pianist was selected to compete with an international roster of competitors. Song Choi, an 18-year-old pianist who just graduated from Alta High School, played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Utah Symphony last month. She'll play the finger-busting first movement of that concerto if she is chosen as a finalist next week.

Choi hasn't always loved being a pianist. She remembers at age 10, being annoyed about having to practice and compete. "Eventually, it became the other way," she said. "I'm so involved now, and my parents are kind of lagging behind. Through the piano, I can express all ranges of emotions. I feel like the audience gets to know what I'm feeling. It's all worth it in the end, because the audience gives that back to me."

Choi's mature musicality defines her playing, said teacher Gary Amano, who also teaches Weiyi. He praises Weiyi for his excellent memory, intelligence and quickness - and for confidence in front of crowds. Both students break the stereotype of the robotic young pianist with superb technical skills and little heart, said Amano, director of the piano program at Utah State University.

Playing musically is an expectation at the Bachauer festival. "Anyone who goes will be amazed at the caliber and quality of the students," Amano said. "It's a very high level."

Is your child a potential star?

Acclaimed teacher Gary Amano tells you what to look for and what pitfalls to avoid:

* WATCH FOR a good sense of pitch, rhythm and physical coordination, as well as a good ear for music.

* AN ABILITY TO FOCUS and concentrate is also important, and students who haven't acquired it should wait until they are older to take lessons. "Maturity and talent are not the same," Amano said, "and sometimes they don't come in the same package."

* MOST OF ALL, be sure young students enjoy what they are doing.