Lucy, who is blind and autistic, has wowed audiences and is one of four musicians chosen to compete in tonight’s grand finale of Channel 4 show The Piano
Nervously walking out onto the stage, blind and autistic 13-year-old Lucy prepares to showcase her incredible piano talent on a world-famous London stage.
The teenager is one of four musicians chosen to compete in tonight’s grand finale of Channel 4 show The Piano.
Viewers will see the Royal Festival Hall audience moved to tears before giving Lucy’s perfect rendition of the complex Debussy piece Arabesque a rapturous standing ovation.
And they will hear singer-songwriter Mika whisper to fellow judge, pianist Lang Lang: “The audience is so intense in this moment, that’s so rare.”
Music prodigy Lucy takes to the stage in the sold-out concert alongside fellow finalists Jay, Danny and Sean – all men in their 20s.
Lucy left judges stunned with her performance on The Piano
The four were picked after impressing Mika and Lang Lang with their performances on pianos at train stations around the country.
Lucy, from West Yorkshire, left commuters in tears when she played Chopin at Leeds station.
Piano teacher Daniel Bath guided her to the piano stool, while series presenter Claudia Winkleman stood by with Lucy’s mum Candice.
The teenager’s rendition left Mika and Lang Lang speechless and went viral, being viewed nearly 5 million times on Twitter.
When Lucy was born, she was diagnosed with cancerous tumours in her eyes and was in and out of hospital for months.
Lucy at her Royal Festival Hall performance of Debussy’s Arabesque (
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© Love Productions, worldwide, all media in perpetuity , NOT FOR PUBLICATION BEFORE)
She also has a chromosome 16 duplication, which affects mental health and autism traits, as well as a global developmental delay leaving her largely non-verbal.
However, when she was just two, she started playing a keyboard, astonishing her mum.
Candice said: “Lucy wasn’t just pressing the buttons she was making rhythm and music.
“By age four she was playing My Way by Frank Sinatra and Bach and Chopin perfectly, I couldn’t believe it.”
Candice was at the Royal Festival Hall, watching proudly from the wings.
Judges Lang Lang and Mika with host Claudia at the Royal Festival Hall (
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© Love Productions, worldwide, all media in perpetuity , NOT FOR PUBLICATION BEFORE)
She said: “It was very nerve-racking but I was absolutely in awe of her. I always knew she would be on a big stage one night.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that neither of us will ever forget.”
Grace Kelly singer Mika called Lucy’s performance in Leeds “jaw-dropping”.
He added: “It was the most humbling thing you could possibly see. She’s not playing to be a superstar. She’s not playing to sell millions of records or get millions of streams.
“This is an intimate, wonderful, magical thing that’s happening. For a lot of people, the piano is their voice.”
Fellow finalist Jay at the Royal Festival Hall (
Image:
© Love Productions, worldwide, all media in perpetuity , NOT FOR PUBLICATION BEFORE)
Taking part in The Piano has helped Lucy – who also loves jazz – grow in confidence, her mum revealed.
She said: “Music gives her joy and you can see that it’s reflected in every part of her body. Music has got us through hospital appointments which can be quite stressful, and it keeps her calm during anxious moments.”
Candice said she wanted Lucy to become a concert pianist, but that it was her daughter’s choice.
She said: “My main hope for Lucy’s future is that she is happy and safe in her life and if she chooses to play the piano that is her choice. I will never ever push her into doing something that she didn’t want to do.”
The supportive mum added: “You shouldn’t be judged in this life for a disability, and I am confident Lucy will do whatever she wants in this world.
“Lucy will change the world in some small way – I firmly believe that.”
In tonight’s show, the four finalists rehearse before taking to the stage in front of a packed house, each hoping to win the performance of the night.
Jay, 25, from the Isle of Wight, who wowed London’s King’s Cross St Pancras station with his performance, said: “It was overwhelming. The nerves and adrenaline drive were incredible.”
Danny, 26, from Manchester, who played at Birmingham New Street station, said being at the Royal Festival Hall was “mind-blowing”.
And Sean, 27, from Edinburgh, who was picked from Glasgow station, added: “Now I have a taste for venues like The Royal Festival Hall, I’m working hard to make sure it’s not a one-off.