Nothing in Renny Hoang’s resume screams “pianist” or even “musician” or “piano prodigy.”
He’s a computer science senior at The University of Texas at Dallas who is minoring in music. Admittedly, that’s the only hint.
Yet Hoang, 21, who plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 2026 and is fluent in coding languages such as Python and Java, only began to learn formally how to decipher a different kind of code — playing the piano — this past school year.
In a short time, he’s mastered it so well that he performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 22. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was his reward after Hoang won first place in the amateur category of the American Protégé International Music Talent Competition. The contest, which is open to international musicians, drew participants from 17 countries last spring.
“The piano was so responsive, and I was able to get everything I wanted out of it,” Hoang said about performing on a Steinway & Sons grand piano at Carnegie’s Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall. “I thought it would only sound nice to the audience. It sounds really good to the performer sitting behind the piano.”
Although Hoang’s academic studies and career path will likely take him in a different direction, he said, “it’s hard to imagine a life without music.”
A National Merit Scholar, Hoang chose UT Dallas because it offered him the opportunity to study one of his passions — computer science — which he said comes naturally to him. At UT Dallas, his musical talent was discovered and developed with mentor Dr. Domi Oh, assistant professor of instruction in visual and performing arts in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. Dr. Donal Skinner, dean and the Mary McDermott Cook Chair in the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College, provided Hoang financial help to perform in New York.
Hoang grew up in Houston listening to classical music, but he never took formal music lessons. In fifth grade, he taught himself how to play keyboard by watching internet and YouTube videos. After school, he practiced on his own for up to four hours a day.
“Without the internet,” he said, “I would’ve gone nowhere with the piano.”
Hoang chose band as his elective in high school because of his passion for music. He played the trombone, and while it was satisfying to finally learn to read music, it didn’t resonate with him quite like the piano.
“It felt more like mastering a school subject,” he said of playing the brass instrument.
With the piano, what motivates him is the goal of matching the music in his mind with the sounds produced by his fingertips.
“It’s euphoric,” he said.
It wasn’t until the most recent spring semester at UTD that Hoang began taking formal music lessons in Oh’s group piano class, which she considers to be for intermediate-level students. Oh has taught piano for over 30 years, including the past four at UTD.
“I’ve always been amazed at how quickly he learns music, and he works so hard,” she said. “He has high expectations of himself. That helps too.”
When Oh saw him perform, she was so impressed with his talent that she encouraged him to take private lessons with her. She had to work hard to convince him as Hoang worried about whether he’d be able to squeeze in the necessary credits to earn his computer science degree.
But once he got started, Oh said, “Whatever I suggested to improve his playing was quickly absorbed and clearly evident in each class.”
When she provided 13 of her private students a list of online piano competitions to enter, Hoang was the only one who took her up on the idea. He logged over 100 hours of practice to master a Rachmaninoff prelude that earned him first place in the competition. Oh said it took him only about a month to learn the complex piece.
“He loves playing piano,” Oh said. “He’s the student who practices the most.”
For his part, Hoang said learning from Oh has been key to unlocking his musical abilities.
“Before that, it feels like I was learning in the dark, and I was struggling with it,” he said. “When she tells me something, it clicks like a light bulb.”
This article by Veronica Gonzalez was originally published in UT Dallas News Center.