Viewers broke down in tears after seeing a blind 13-year-old girl perform Chopin flawlessly on the piano at a Birmingham train station.
Budding pianist Lucy took the keys on an episode of Channel 4’s The Piano, a talent show hosted by Claudia Winkleman and judged by pop star Mika and concert pianist Lang Lang.
The show features pianists performing in front of audiences at Birmingham New Street and London St Pancras stations while the jury looks on in a secret room before selecting a pianist to perform on stage at the end of each episode.
A clip of Lucy’s performance, which has not yet aired in full, was posted by the official Channel 4 account on Twitter, leaving viewers incredibly moved.
Her mesmerizing performance stunned the crowd at the station, who watched in awe, with people online saying they were “whiny” after watching the clip.
At the beginning of the clip, Lucy is led to the piano by a man who helps her find her seat while Winkleman talks to a woman who appears to be Lucy’s mother or guardian.
The woman reveals that Lucy, who is neurodivergent, covers her ears when people applaud her.
The woman explains, “She likes the applause, but she doesn’t like the sound of the applause.
“So their fingers go in their ears for sensory reasons.”
When Winkleman asks if she needs to tell the crowd not to clap, the woman insists Lucy “loves the applause.”
A clip from Channel 4 show The Piano has left people in tears after being moved by the performance of 13-year-old Lucy, who is blind and neurodivergent (pictured at Birmingham New Street Station).
Lucy (pictured playing the piano aged 5) caused a sensation when she performed at Birmingham New Street Station
Dressed in a navy blue tulle dress with gold butterflies and a white cardigan, with her hair braided, Lucy prepares to play Chopin’s Opus 9 Number 1.
A crowd forms around the piano, and many people record it on their cell phones. Meanwhile, Mika and Lang Lang, watching the clip in a separate room, look visibly moved and follow the performance with open mouths.
At some point Mika puts his hand in front of his mouth and seems to be fighting back tears.
Lang says, “It’s incredible that she can play this piece. How – how does she learn? I mean it’s incredible.”
As Lucy finishes the song and the crowd applauds her, Lang is heard saying, “Oh my god. Oh my god, that’s – that’s impossible.”
People who stopped to watch Lucy’s performance on the station were visibly moved by her performance and stopped to record it on their cell phones
Judge Mika was visibly moved by the performance and had tears in his eyes when Lucy finished playing
He adds: “I’m speechless, I don’t know what to say.”
Mika laughs with tears in his eyes and replies: “There is nothing to say.”
He added he was “stunned” and “stunned” by Lucy’s moving performance.
After the clip was posted to Twitter, users echoed the judges’ opinion.
‘Wow! That brought me to tears. Amazing stuff,” one person said.
Another wrote: “A magical and beautiful performance by Lucy. An inspiration to all viewers and a reminder that being neurodiverse is a gift.”
One viewer described the clip as “gorgeous” and said: “[Lucy] looked so wrapped up in a cocoon of beautiful sound and her playing looked effortless.’
Other people wrote that the clip made them “smile big” and was “uplifting” to watch, while a piano teacher shared her experience coaching a blind student.
She wrote: “Blind musicians are amazing at how they learn and memorize music. I have been so blessed by my own young blind student who has challenged me to revisit my teachings and more.
“Lucy, who is introduced here, is very special.”
Lucy’s fingers swept the keys with ease as she played the Frederic Chopin piece, stunning the crowd
Viewers took to Twitter to praise Lucy’s “beautiful” performance after being left speechless by her skills
Although Lucy’s episode of The Piano has yet to air, the opening episode, which aired last night at 9pm on Channel 4, showcased talent from across the UK of all ages.
The youngest artist was 11-year-old Ilya, who started playing when his father gave him an old piano that had been in his grandmother’s attic.
The schoolboy chose to play Dance of the Knights by Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev – recognized by many as the theme tune to BBC’s The Apprentice.
Ilya’s father Erol explained that his son decided to perform a play by Prokofiev because he is half-Ukrainian, his mother is from Kiev.
“We used to come back there all the time,” Erol said.
During a visit to Kiev, Ilya met his piano teacher Misha for the first time. Misha appeared on a video call on the show and explained that his first lessons with Ilya were in Kiev in person, until last spring’s Russian invasion, when things changed.
Now the couple continues their piano lessons via video chat, with Misha still residing in Ukraine.
“Your friendship is incredibly strong,” said Erol. ‘It’s just a shame that Misha might not be able to come by now.’
At the end of Ilya’s performance, he stood and bowed to the applauding crowd, but admitted he had “no idea” how his performance went.
His proud father Erol, who had been watching from the sidelines, said: “It was really good.”