A live performance of “La La Land in Concert” in Sydney took an unexpected turn when the orchestra’s keyboardist became ill during the interval, prompting composer and conductor Justin Hurwitz to ask the audience if anyone could step in. Among the 25-hundred attendees was 21-year-old University of Sydney student Sterling Nasa, who volunteered after some encouragement from a friend and joined the orchestra without any rehearsal.
Nasa, a pianist, organist, and bagpipes tutor, was asked to sight-read the complex score for the remainder of the performance. One of the biggest challenges came during the song “Start a Fire,” which included a difficult synthesizer solo that even Hurwitz worried would be hard to perform on the spot. When the moment arrived, Nasa improvised part of the solo, keeping the performance moving and earning a strong audience response.
After the concert, the conductor said he was both impressed and grateful for Nasa’s contribution, describing the experience as surreal. Nasa called it a privilege to perform music he had long admired, and by the next morning he was sharing the story on television and radio before returning to his university studies.
Source: THE GUARDIAN
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