14-Year-Old Composer Wins $50K Award

A 14-year-old pianist and composer, Conrad Tao, will be honored as a 2008 fellow laureate of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, an honor that includes a $50,000 prize, the organization announced today. Fellows of the program, designed to help the creative development of gifted youths from a variety of fields, receive awards ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Mr. Tao, a New Yorker, attends the Juilliard School's Pre-College Division. He composes and performs classical music that is geared toward members of his generation.