Thomas Yu is a 38-year-old periodontist from Calgary, Canada. He’s also the best pianist in the Cliburn’s amateur competition, which ended Saturday.

In a final round that saw four of the six pianists play Beethoven pieces Saturday, Canadian Thomas Yu wowed the Bass Hall audience and judges with an impressive Saint-Saëns piano concerto movement, earning him first place in the Seventh Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition.

By the end, I could barely control my emotions,” says Thomas Yu describing his first-prize-winning performance at the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 25.

It wasn’t easy for Thomas Yu to become CBC Music’s 2015 Piano Hero.

For one thing, in order to advance to the finals earlier this year, the Calgary pianist — who spends his days practising dentistry — had to land enough online support from listeners to make it into the top ten.

An interview with Thomas Yu in advance of his performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21.