Not many 19-year-olds can claim to be a Van Cliburn International Competition prizewinner. But, then again, not everyone is Joyce Yang. The Korean-born, US-based artist became the competition's youngest silver medalist in 2005, when she also picked up two additional awards. Five years later Yang was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Juilliard School's Arthur Rubinstein Prize - two more trophies to add to her already-bulging cabinet.

Now 25, the pianist has been hailed "the most gifted young pianist of her generation". Her talent has taken her, most recently, to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Israel and Australia as part of a world tour this year. Playing as a soloist with some of the world's major orchestras, Yang has received outstanding reviews for her performances of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Piano Concerto No. 2. She even stood in, with just one day's notice, for an indisposed Lang Lang to perform Rachmaninov's Second Concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She subsequently gained impressive reviews for her rousing performance, with the Buffalo News calling her "the real deal".

It's perhaps no surprise, then, that this gutsy pianist has already been in the studio, for Avie. Her debut solo album, released on October 24, includes Scarlatti's Sonatas K9 and K141 and Schumann's Carnaval, along with works by Debussy and Liebermann. Called Collage - the title reflects Yang's well-documented synaesthesia, which enables her to see music as shapes and colours - the album will be seen as an early test of her already flourishing career. With Yang's drive for excellence, there's a good chance she'll pass.