The Magic of Lucy: Blind and autistic pianist, 13, crowned winner of 'The Piano' amid thunderous applause and tears
WEST YORKSHIRE, UK: Lucy, a blind and autistic 13-year-old, was crowned the winner of 'The Piano' for her soul-stirring rendition of Debussy's Arabesque on Wednesday, March 13. The teenager received a standing ovation at the Royal Festival Hall in London and left many in tears with her incredible performance during the final.
Lucy from West Yorkshire was born with cancerous tumors in her eyes and is largely non-verbal. She entered the Channel 4 competition to find the UK's best amateur pianist after performing Chopin at a train station in February. While judge Lang Lang called her a "genius", popstar Mika called it the "performance of the evening."
READ MORE
Can dairy products lead to autism? Internet slams PETA and labels it a conspiracy theorist group
Blind and autistic pianist Lucy, 13, WINS The Piano following her incredible performance at the Royal Festival Hall after leaving viewers in tears#Lucy #Channel4 #TheFunCruise pic.twitter.com/Vg3idBPN4g
— THE FUN CRUISE (@THEFUNCRUISE1) March 16, 2023
'I always knew'
Lucy's mother Candice said, "I always knew she would be on a big stage one night. I said to the producers, 'You have seen in my daughter what I have seen for years.'"
Lucy has a chromosome 16 duplication which causes autism traits, developmental delay and intellectual disability. She started playing on the keyboard when she was two and moved to piano at three. Candice said,
"We were at home and she had a lot of musical toys to play with, but Lucy wasn't just pressing the buttons, she was making rhythm and music, and I thought that was interesting," reported Daily Mail.
'Beyond proud'
"From a fairy tale book with a piano on it, she started playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but it was pitch perfect. It was such a moment to hear that," Candice said. Even when Lucy was not playing she began to compose music in her head and played back music she had listened to just once. Candice said, "I'm beyond proud of my little girl, beyond proud," as she stood next to her daughter while she received a standing ovation. When Lucy came off stage after performing, she said to her mother, "A round of applause at the Festival Hall," to which Candice replied, "You got more than a big round of applause, darling."
Lucy's music teacher, Daniel said, "I've never met anyone who has the same depth of understanding of music. Music is the way that she communicates." Candice said she decided to put her daughter in the competition because she wanted to show the world how "amazing" she was and raise awareness about her condition. She added that it had been a "once in a lifetime experience that neither of us will ever forget" which was "literally life-changing."
