8-year-old pianist dazzles with Chopin recital at train station
Child has never taken formal lessons — but you’d never know it
By tickling the ivories, this tyke delighted an international audience.
Jay Lewington, 8, does not take piano lessons, but you would not know it simply by watching his recent viral video.
The footage shows the precocious pianist performing Frédéric Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu” at St. Pancras Station in London.
Staff at the railway station placed pianos in the concourse for the public to enjoy, presumably while waiting to board a train or pick up a loved one.
“Play Me, I’m Yours,” a sign on the piano read.
Jay’s mother, Camille Lewington, who says her son taught himself to play piano by watching instructional videos on the Internet, shot the moment and uploaded it to her YouTube channel, where it has received 238,111 views.
“Just wanted to say thank you from Jay for some of the lovely comments he has had,” Camille wrote to the viewers. “I’ve just read some of them out to him, and his face lit up — especially the ‘Merry Christmas from the US.’”
Though most commuters hustled through to their destinations, Jay’s performance prompted complete strangers to stop and listen to the performance.
One woman, who tried to interrupt to give him a 10-pound note, was reduced to tears, his mother said.
The video, which was published in 2013, continues to reach new audiences every month.
