Watch: Blind girl's 'beautiful' piano performance on Channel 4 show

‘She’s a miracle!’ Viewers break down in tears over ‘beautiful’ Chopin performance by blind girl, 13, at Birmingham train station

• Schoolgirl Lucy, 13, left an audience in tears at Birmingham New Street station
• A clip of her on the show hosted by Claudia Winkleman was posted on Twitter
• Read more: The happiest songs in the world, according to science 

People have been left in tears after watching a blind 13-year-old girl seamlessly perform a Chopin piece on the piano at a train station in Birmingham.

Budding young pianist Lucy took to the keys on an episode of Channel 4’s The Piano, a talent show hosted by Claudia Winkleman and judged by popstar Mika and concert pianist Lang Lang. 

The show sees pianists perform at Birmingham New Street and London St Pancras stations in front of a crowd while the judges watch in a secret room, before selecting one pianist at the end of each episode to perform onstage.

A clip of Lucy’s performance, which has not yet been broadcast, was posted on Twitter by the Channel 4 official account, which left people incredibly moved.

As she is filmed mesmerising the crowd at the station who look on in awe, people said they were ‘tearful’ 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 Claudia speaks to a woman who appears to be Lucy’s mother or guardian.

Claudia speaks to the woman about Lucy’s performances, stating that she 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 her fingers go in her ears for sensory reasons.’

When Claudia asks if she needs to tell the crowd not to clap, the woman insists Lucy ‘loves the applause’. 

A clip of Channel 4 show The Piano, which aired last night at 9pm, has left people in tears after they were moved by the performance of 13-year-old Lucy, who is blind and neurodiverse (pictured playing at Birmingham New Street Station)

Judge Mika was left visibly moved by the performance and had tears in his eyes as Lucy finished playing 

Dressed in a navy blue tulle dress with gold butterflies and a white cardigan, with her brunette ringlets of hair in bunches, Lucy prepares to play Frederic Chopin’s Opus 9 Number 1. 

When she begins to play, a crowd forms around the piano with many people recording her on their phones. Meanwhile Mika and Lang Lang, who are watching the clip in a separate room, look visibly moved and watch the performance with open mouths.

At one point, Mika holds his hand up to his mouth and appears to fight back tears as he watches the performance in wonderment.

Lang says: ‘It’s unbelievable that she can play this piece. How – how does she study? I mean, it’d incredible.’

As Lucy finishes the piece and the crowd applauds for her, Lang can be heard saying: ‘Oh my God. Oh my God this is – this is impossible.’

Viewers took to Twitter to praise Lucy’s ‘beautiful’ performance after being left speechless at her skills

He adds: ‘I’m speechless, I don’t know what to say.’

Mika, with tears in his eyes, laughs and replies: ‘There’s nothing to say.’

He added he was ‘flummoxed’ and ‘speechless’ by Lucy’s moving performance.

After the clip was posted on Twitter, people responded echoing the judges’ sentiments.

‘Wow! Made me teary eyed that. Amazing stuff,’ one person said.

Another wrote: ‘A magical and beautiful performance by Lucy. An inspiration to everyone watching and a reminder that being neurodiverse is a gift.’

Describing the clip as ‘stunning’, one viewer said: ‘[Lucy] looked so wrapped up in a cocoon of beautiful sound and her playing looked effortless.’

Other people wrote that the clip had given them a ‘big smile’ and was ‘uplifting’ to watch, while a piano teacher shared her experience of coaching a blind student.

She wrote: ‘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.’ 

Although Lucy’s episode of The Piano is yet to be broadcast, the opening episode which aired on Channel 4 at 9pm last night showcased talents from around the UK of all different ages.

The youngest performer was 11-year-old Ilya, who had began playing when his father gave him an old piano which had been sitting in his grandmother’s loft.

The schoolboy opted to play Dance of the Knights by Sergei Prokofiev – recognised by many as the theme tune to BBC’s The Apprentice.

Ilya’s father Erol explained that his son had chosen to play a Prokofiev piece because he is half Ukrainian, as his mother comes from Kyiv.

‘We used to go back there all the time,’ Erol said.

While visiting Kyiv, Ilya first met his piano teacher, Misha. Appearing on a video call in the show, Misha explained his first few lessons with Ilya were in person in Kyiv, until the Russian invasion last Spring, when things changed.

Now the pair continue their piano lessons over video chat, with Misha still based in Ukraine. 

‘Their friendship is incredibly strong,’ Erol said. ‘It’s just a shame that, the circumstances are now that Misha can’t actually come over.’

At the end of Ilya’s performance, he stood up and bowed to the applauding crowd but admitted he had ‘no idea’ how his performance had gone.

However his proud father Erol, who had been watching from the sidelines, said: ‘It was really good.’ 

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