Blind Scottish pianist, 17, reaches BBC final
NewsFrom the BBC News website:
An 18-year-old Falkirk pianist, who was born blind, said it was an amazing feeling to reach the grand final of the BBC Young Musician competition.
Ethan Loch won the keyboard final of the competition, with a performance described by presenters Jess Gillam and Alexis Ffrench as “spellbinding.”
Ethan has been playing the piano since he was four years old.
The grand final of the competition will be broadcast on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3 on Sunday.
Frm the Falkirk Herald:
A former pupil of St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, he now studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.
Congratulations to him! This is so inspiring 🙂
A shame Jacky Zhang got passed over (again)
What a magnificent achievement; it recalls Bernard d’Ascoli, the great French pianist who lost his sight at the age of three. I hope and pray that he will win the competition and have a successful international career.
If anything, this is a victory for real diversity – someone being judged solely for the quality of his playing.
I thought that the outstanding performances were from Ethan and the Turkish girl Ms Erdogan . Jacky Zhang, regrettably, seemed only to have technique to offer with musicality being conspicuous by its absence
Quite by chance- I tuned into Radio 3 driving somewhere today. I was struck by a performance of the finale of Chopin’s 3rd B Minor Sonata. Who was this? An impressive keyboard virtuosity & awareness of Chopin’s inner world that could have easily been from the likes of Argerich, Kissin, Perahia or Pollini, all much admired in this particular work. Turned out to be a young lad from the wilds of Scotland with a sight disability- impressive to say the least. Wishing him well in his pianistic exploits.
Just wonderful! Show the others what a great ear you have!
The 2009 gold medalist in the Cliburn Competition was Noboyuki Tsuji, also a blind pianist. Congratulations to Mr. Loch.