Fans wept after a 13-year-old blind pianist was crowned the winner of Channel 4’s The Piano series on Wednesday night after her performance at the Royal Festival Hall.
Lucy, who has autism, wowed the audience during the show’s finale that followed her performance as Chopin at a train station last month.
Viewers raved about the emotional performance on Twitter, with one writing: ‘Lucy on The Piano just made me an emotional mess. How amazing is she!
Another wrote: ‘Lucy, that might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen on TV. Well done!
A third added: “Lucy made me cry with pure joy, what an amazing young man, brilliant performance!”
Emotional moment – Fans wept after a 13-year-old blind pianist was crowned the winner of Channel 4’s The Piano series on Wednesday night following her performance at the Royal Festival Hall.
One user said: The piano is a beautiful program. Blind girl Lucy’s piano playing was out of this world and deeply moving.”
Another added: “I don’t mind admitting that Lucy on the piano just made me shed a tear, not out of sadness but pure joy at such an incredible talent.”
One viewer mentioned her amazing teacher: “Let’s take a moment to give a big shout out to Lucy’s teacher – amazing.”
The show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, involves members of the public performing at train stations across the UK while the judges look on in a secret room.
Pop star Mika and concert pianist Lang Lang then select a pianist at the end of each episode to perform in the finale.
Judge Mika praised Lucy’s ‘amazing’ rendition of the song, saying, ‘Magic things happen to music that go against all odds and all limitations.’
The singer added: ‘It’s amazing when it happens. When it happened in Leeds, when Lucy performed, it was amazing, it was the most humiliating thing you could ever see.
Lucy’s mother said: “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that none of us will ever forget.” It was literally life changing, these types of events don’t usually happen in our lives.
Viewers raved about the emotional performance on Twitter, with one writing: ‘Lucy on The Piano just made me an emotional mess. How amazing is she!
Talented: Lucy, who has autism, wowed the audience during the show’s finale that followed her performance as Chopin at a train station last month
During her first appearance on the show, the official Channel 4 account posted a clip of Lucy’s performance on Twitter, leaving viewers incredibly moved.
Her mesmerizing performance stuns the crowd at the station who watch in awe, with people online saying they were ‘in tears’ after watching the video.
At the beginning of the clip, a man walks Lucy to the piano and helps her find her seat, while Winkleman talks to Lucy’s mother.
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 her fingers go into her ears for sensory reasons.
When Winkleman asks if she needs to tell the crowd not to clap, the woman insists that Lucy “loves applause.”
Finalists: The show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, involves members of the public performing at train stations across the UK while the judges look on in a secret room.
A crowd forms around the piano, with many people recording it with their phones. Meanwhile, Mika and Lang Lang, who are watching the clip in a separate room, look visibly excited and watch the performance with their mouths open.
At one point, Mika puts her hand to her mouth and seems to hold back tears.
Says Lang: ‘It’s amazing that she can play this piece. How – how does she study? I mean, it’s amazing.
As Lucy finishes the piece and the crowd applauds her, Lang can be heard saying, ‘Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, this is… this is impossible.