The third member of the trio that makes up the group of the youngest contestants in the 2025 National Youth Music Competition (NYMC) is Rondebosch pianist Juntian (David) Yang.

The 15-year-old Grade Nine learner at Rondebosch Boys High School is contesting the NYMC a second time. He says that he entered again to challenge himself against other talented musicians and to grow as an artist.

He started playing the piano at the age of six. His first music teacher was Mr Jin, a friend of his parents. Nowadays, he is tutored by Prof Mario Nell, who is also the director of the NYMC. The young rising star also plays the classical guitar.

According to Juntian (David), his role model is the late Alan Turing, an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. This explains the talented pianist's long-term plans. He says he wants to become an artificial intelligence (AI) programmer.

He is the oldest of three brothers. Both his brothers, ages eight and 13, also play the piano.

Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn is his favourite composer. "I like his style of music. It has clear, quality sound and freedom within a structure," he says.

The talented musician says he practices on average approximately two hours per day. In his free time, he likes playing badminton and video games.

If he could be an animal, he would be a dolphin, as they are intelligent beings.

He describes himself as focused and lives his life by the motto, "Don't trip over what is behind you."