Watch amazing moment blind 13-year-old girl stuns audience with flawless performance of Chopin classic
16 February 2023, 15:21 | Updated: 16 February 2023, 20:39
Viewers were left stunned after watching a blind 13-year-old girl perform a flawless rendition of a Chopin piece on the piano at a Leeds train station.
Lucy wowed the audience with her skills on an episode of Channel 4 talent show The Piano, hosted by Claudia Winkleman and judged by "Grace Kelly" singer Mika and concert pianist Lang Lang.
In the programme, musicians perform in front of commuters at London St Pancras stations and Birmingham New Street and before crowds as the judges watch on a secret room.
At the end of each episode, judges choose one pianist to perform on stage.
Lucy's extraordinary performance has not yet been broadcast in full, but a clip was posted on Twitter by the Channel 4 official account.
Read more: Nicola Bulley timeline: Latest updates and events in the search for missing mother-of-two
The crowd at the station are seen watching in awe as she performs, with people on social media saying they were brought to tears by the clip.
At the start of the video, a man leads Lucy to the piano and helps her find her seat, while Winkleman talks to a woman who appears to be the teenager's mother or guardian.
13-year-old blind and neurodivergent girl wows Lang Lang with Chopin piece on Channel 4 show
She reveals that Lucy, who is neurodivergent, has to cover her ears when she's around clapping.
The woman explains: "She likes the applause, but she doesn't like the sound of the applause. So her fingers go in her ears for sensory reasons."
Winkleman then asks if she needs to tell the crowd to refrain from clapping, the woman insists that Lucy "loves the applause".
A crowd forms around the piano, for Lucy's performance of Frédéric Chopin's Nocturne Opus 9 Number 1.
The judges look visibly moved and as they watched her performance opened mouthed.
Lang Lang is dumbfounded by her playing ability: "It's unbelievable that she can play this piece," he says, "How - how does she study? I mean, it's incredible."
As crowd applauded Lucy at the end of her performance, Lang Lang is heard saying: "Oh my God. Oh my God this is - this is impossible," adding: "I'm speechless, I don't know what to say."
A tearful Mika replies: "There's nothing to say," adding that the seeing her play had left him "speechless".
Their reaction was shared by many viewers on social media, who were bowled over by her playing.
One person, wrote that Lucy " looked so wrapped up in a cocoon of beautiful sound and her playing looked effortless."
Another wrote: "Wow! Made me teary eyed that. Amazing stuff."
Another wrote: 'A magical and beautiful performance by Lucy. An inspiration to everyone watching and a reminder that being neurodiverse is a gift.'
A piano teacher also praised the young girl and shared her experience of working with a blind student, saying: 'Blind musicians are incredible in how they learn and memorise music.
"I have been so blessed by my own, young blind student who has challenged me to look again at my teaching and more besides.
"Lucy featured here is very special."
