Eldorado teen is old-time piano playing champion

He's only a teenager, but Nathan Beasley of Eldorado has old-time piano playing down to an art form.

Beasley has won the World Junior Championship, at the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest in Oxford, Mississippi.

Beasley, 17, competed against pianists from across the country to win the title over the Memorial Day weekend

"He is a modest and intelligent young man although he plays piano like a lion," contest coordinator Ian Hominick said.

"This was Nathan's second trip to Oxford for the Old-Time Piano Contest and I have got to know him better after this past May."

Beasley, who said he learned to love old-time piano music through visiting his grandmother, is a fierce competitor, Hominick said.

"He appears totally at home with his environment and the audience truly appreciates what they hear from him. He loves to entertain and is extremely talented for his age," Hominick said.

Beasley also took first place in the duet contest with Daniel Souvigny of Hampshire, Illinois. This was Beasley's final year of eligibility in the junior division.