Lucy from The Piano: How incredibly talented blind Halifax teen started playing piano and her favourite tunes to perform

Last night’s show saw 13-year-old Lucy – who is blind and neurodiverse – receive a standing ovation when she took to the stage at The Royal Festival Hall.

On social media, people have been flooding to show their support and admiration for the Ravenscliffe High School student’s talent.

Lucy was picked for the concert after performing for commuters and judges classical pianist Lang Lang and pop star Mika at Leeds Railway Station as part of the show hosted by Claudia Winkleman.

Her rendition of Chopin’s Nocturne in B# Minor left Lang Lang speechless and Mika flummoxed at her depth and understanding of music.

Candice, Lucy’s mum, said: “There were people missing their trains just to listen to my daughter, some were in tears and I found that overwhelming and emotional.

"Lucy was really young when she started playing a keyboard, about two years old.

"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.

"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.

"We upgraded the keyboard and she just absolutely loved playing music sitting on the couch, and in her head she was composing.

"Then an even bigger keyboard when she was about four or five, and she was playing My Way by Frank Sinatra perfectly, I couldn’t believe

it.

"It only took one listen to the music and she could play it back on the keyboard.

"At primary school I was asked what was she interested in, and I said the piano. The teacher recommended the Amber Trust and that is where we found Daniel and the rest is history.”

Candice said Lucy’s range is extensive and she enjoys playing some jazz at home. “There’s a lot of Miles Davis in our house,” she said. “And of course a bit of James Taylor, and a bit of Michael Buble, she loves him.

"She has different feelings to different kinds of music. She associates different people with different tracks, which I think is amazing.”

Daniel, who has been teaching Lucy piano for 10 years, said: “From our first lesson, I could see the amount of potential in her, even as a tiny toddler.

"Lucy has a great depth of musical understanding and a really good memory for pieces of music. So when she learns a piece she will play it in a vague and rough way.

"It is my job then as a sculptor with a block of marble to chip away and to make it an actual piece, and then the musical detail slowly emerges.

"Lucy, like a lot of other blind and neurodivergent children, has perfect pitch which makes it easier for her to memorise pieces of music and musical detail.”