11-Year-Old Boy Sits At Outdoor Piano And Stuns Audience With "Moonlight Sonata"

Jun 12, 2020 by apost team

In the summer of 2012, during the City of London Festival, artist Luke Jerram installed pianos throughout the city as part of his Play Me, I'm Yours, art project. Little did he know that, at the time, a young, talented musician would play one of the pianos and bring the world around him to a standstill.

The purpose of the project, Play Me, I'm Yours is to allow musicians to share their love and passion for music in urban environments and connect. The project has been on tour since 2008 and continues to pop up in cities worldwide. Each piano is decorated by local artists and anyone can play. Young or old and at any skill level, you can walk up to one of these pianos and play your heart out.

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During the festival in Soho, London, a young boy is seen on video approaching one of the pianos. Two men are having a conversation, barely noticing the boy waiting his turn at the keys. Once they realize the child is there, they make room for him. The boy, then 11 years-old George Harliono, timidly plays a few notes. Once he plays a couple of chords, people begin to realize that this is not just any child playing with a piano.

As he plays and becomes more relaxed, people begin to stop in their tracks, mesmerized by this young boy's pure talent. It is obvious from the beginning that this performance is like no other. At the time, the unknown Harliono was able to bring the whole area to a standstill as people did a double-take, backtracked, and started recording the performance. Even a game of ping pong ended as everyone gathered around to see the boy play Mikhail Glinka and Mili Balakirev’s The Lark flawlessly and with emotion that was well beyond his years.

The mesmerized audience applauds at the end of the song and seems more than ready for an encore. George complies, this time playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (Movement 3). This song starts with much more confidence. His fingers are limber and he is no longer timid. It's almost a magical experience to witness. More and more people line up to watch him play and all have an expression of awe on their faces.

At one point, another child approaches the piano and watches George play. Other children and their parents are seen in the audience as well, enjoying the music as it echoes through the streets of Soho. Finally, there are clearly dozens of people standing around this young virtuoso, blown away by the mere presence of him. There was no doubt in their minds that they were seeing a young master perform.

As George plays the final notes of Midnight Sonata, the crowd erupts in applause and Harliono charmingly stands up and smiles shyly at the crowd in thanks. If anyone thought that George would one day perform for the masses, they were correct. George Harliono, who is now 19-years-old, had his concerto debut at only 12 years-old.

He has performed around the world with some of the greatest orchestras and has competed against other pianists worldwide. He is currently studying at the Royal College of Music in London on a full four-year scholarship, according to his website. There is no doubt that we will continue to see great things from him for many years to come.

What do you think of George Harliono's performance? Let us know and pass this on to fellow music lovers who are bound to be impressed by this young boy's music abilities.