A teenager just stunned with a performance of a lifetime, proving that a disability need not be an obstacle to one’s dreams. Visually impaired Lucy, 13, just showed that nothing is impossible when she was awarded the performance of the night at grand finale of The Piano, which was broadcast on March 15.
Lucy, of West Yorkshire, England, claimed the top prize at Channel 4’s The Piano with a performance of Debussy’s Arabesque.
The Piano, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, is a search for the United Kingdom’s best amateur pianists.
Lucy qualified for the final performance at London’s Festival Hall after a moving performance of Chopin’s Opus 9 Number 1, which she played at Leeds Train Station in the early rounds of the series.
The Piano showcases members of the public who play their best pieces at a piano at various railway stations around the UK. Their talents are then judged by Chinese pianist Lang Lang and pop star and singer-songwriter Mika.
The video preview of Lucy’s Leeds performance, which ran for nearly three minutes, was released on Channel 4’s Twitter and was viewed around 3.7 million times.
The video showed how people stopped in their tracks at the station to watch and record Lucy playing the piano on their phones.
Lucy’s performance is truly amazing, given the fact that she is not only visually impaired, but is autistic and has learning disabilities as well.
Still, her incredible talent showed even at a young age, and she started working with her music teacher Daniel when she was three years old.
She further honed her skills through a musical charity called Amber Trust. Her music teacher supported her throughout the competition.
At the Leeds train station, Lucy wowed people who were passing by. She gained a trip to the grand finals of The Piano along with 25-year-old Jay from the Isle of Wight, 27-year-old Sean from Edinburgh, and 26-year-old Danny from Manchester.
Like Lucy, they were all discovered while playing on public pianos in some of the UK’s busiest train stations.
During the grand finals of The Piano, all four talented pianists took to the stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall to perform for a live audience. The visually impaired and gifted teen earned a standing ovation from the crowd after a
show-stopping rendition of Debussy’s Arabesque. Most of the viewers of The Piano teared up after the teen pulled off her amazing performance.
She blew away the audience and the judges and was crowned the winner of the show. After the piano recital, Lucy’s emotional mother proudly exclaimed, ”You were amazing, you were incredible!” She added, “I am beyond proud of my little girl, beyond proud.”
Plenty of fans also took to Twitter to voice their admiration for the talented pianist. One shared, “Well that made me shed a tear.”
Another tweeted, “Watching #ThePiano and Lucy playing has reduced me to tears. So so stunningly beautiful!” While another stated, “Never thought watching someone play the piano would reduce me to tears… Lucy… truly beautiful.”
Lucy also received warm messages on social media from her current school, Ravenscliffe High School and Sports College in Halifax, as well as her former school, Highbury School in Rastrick.
Lucy’s fellow finalists were also tearful as they watched her backstage. And even judges Lang Lang and pop singer Mika choked up after witnessing her stunning performance.
Mika, who topped the UK Singles Chart in January 2007 with “Grace Kelly” and has since gone on to record four more platinum-selling studio albums, praised Lucy’s jaw-dropping piano piece. He explained, “Magical things happen with music that are against all odds and all limitations.”
Lucy joins many other visually impaired artists who move their audiences with their immense talent. Apart from receiving the honor of performance of the night on The Piano, Lucy received a huge bunch of flowers and a grand piano to take home.
In fact, all four finalists were gifted their very own piano so they could continue playing long after the show ended. Lucy’s piano does not recognize her disability, and she’ll be playing beautiful music for a long, long time.
Watch Lucy’s heart-rending performance on The Piano in the video below: