Who Is Alec Van Khajadourian? Get To Know The 5-Year-Old Piano Prodigy

Carnegie Hall's seen plenty of world-class performers come and go across its stage ... and had its potentially youngest performer in its history make his debut in July 2025.

Piano player Alec Van Khajadourian made plenty of waves for his performance at the venue, although much of the attention wasn't only due to his impressive playing -- it went to his age, as the performer's only 5 years old!

Here's a look into the background of the piano prodigy, as well as a few reasons why he was invited to perform on one of the most prestigious stages in the world.

One of the chief reasons Alec made it to Carnegie Hall in NYC is his sense of perfect pitch, which enables him to identify musical notes just by hearing them, according to ABC7.

The ability, which only occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people, helped him develop prowess on the piano "real fast," according to his father Joe.

Alec's father recalled how his son "would walk over to the piano when he first started walking" and seemed to take to the instrument, as he would display "a huge grin on his face" while playing.

Joe also spoke about how his son "immediately showed some real promise" -- how's that for a proud parent?

Alec's parents aren't the only ones who've recognized his talents, as he's taken home first prize in various musical competitions over the course of his time as a piano player.

The prodigy's showed off his skills at contests all over the country, and he earned himself a bit of hometown pride after coming out on top at the 2025 Los Angeles Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition, according to the New York Post.

Alec's time at Carnegie Hall took place as part of the NY Classical Debut Awards Gala Concert, which saw him perform alongside other kids from 10 different countries, although he was the youngest of the lot.

While the Gala's founder and artistic director, Pietro Molteni, described the musician as the "youngest performer in the history of Carnegie Hall," representatives for the venue couldn't confirm the claim, as they didn't have records from its earliest days.

Despite his prowess on the piano, Alec's still just a 5-year-old kid, and his parents have spoken about not pressuring him to devote himself to the instrument.

Joe described his son -- despite his dedication to practicing the piano -- as "still very much just a goofy 5-year-old" while speaking with ABC7, and said neither he nor his wife put pressure on Alec to succeed as a musician.

Joe also admitted he and his wife "laugh sometimes when he's jamming," as they're
"not able to believe he's able to do that."