When Tony Ann was 11, he attended a high school concert where they played Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. He didn’t know who composed it at the time, but the melody stayed with him. Later, when he heard it again at his uncle’s house, he realised it was Mozart — that moment really stuck.

Hailed as “the new piano star” and backed by staggering numbers — over 1 billion views on YouTube and 300 million streams — Canadian-born composer-pianist Ann is a defining artist of the digital age. This global phenomenon has sparked a new wave of classical music fandom through his viral #playthatword series and celebrated EP trilogy. His 2024 triumphs include sold-out world tours and standing ovations at legendary halls like Paris’s Olympia and London’s Barbican.