Oscar-winning composer gave his sick pianist's seat to a 21-year-old stranger. The gamble paid off
Sterling Nasa was hesitant at first, but after he took a leap of faith got up on the 'La La Land' stage
Sometimes, a leap of faith serendipitously reveals an unsuspecting talent. On Saturday, May 30, Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz was performing "La La Land in Concert" in Sydney’s Darling Harbour Theatre when the keyboardist in his crew fell ill halfway through the show. Hurwitz took a leap of faith and asked if someone from the audience could help. He had no idea what would happen until a man named Sterling Nasa raised his hand, and soon, all his doubts dissolved into thin air. Maddie Corwin (@maddiecorwin), a woman in the audience, captured the entire scene in a video and posted it on Instagram. The footage, shared on May 31, has received over 5 million views online.
The scary request
In a conversation with Guardian Australia, Hurwitz confessed that, behind the scenes, quiet panic had set in when they learned the pianist had fallen ill. Until he started playing, he couldn't have known how the concert would turn out. But the moment Sterling Nasa sat on the piano, he was impressed. It turned out that Nasa regularly plays piano and organ and is a bagpipe tutor at Scots College. "The audience was waiting. The orchestra needed help. And my former student, Sterling Nasa, raised his hand. His former teacher, Andrea van den Bol, posted on LinkedIn, praising him.
Corwin noted that it was one of the "most insane concert experiences" she had ever had in Sydney. Speaking to CNN, she described it as one of those moments when one feels like witnessing something unique. "He had a composure about him and played amazingly," she said. Meanwhile, Nasa recounted that for the first 10 minutes, he was obviously nervous, but eventually he started feeling right at home, on stage. Corwin said everyone was rooting for him.
Leap of faith
For those who are unaware, "La-La Land" in Concert is a live symphonic cine-concert show with audiences ranging from 2,500 to 17,000 per Broadway World and Variety. In the 2016 movie "La-La Land," the character Sebastian, played by Gosling, takes a leap of faith by letting his love, Mia (Emma Stone), go so he can pursue his lifelong dream of opening a jazz club. Just like Sebastian, Hurwitz took a leap of faith and succeeded in his goal.
'He killed it,' say people online
Meanwhile, swooning over the event, people across the internet are expressing surprise and astonishment. For instance, @jamesagerr said, "This is just like 'can anyone fly a plane,' and he actually landed it!" Similarly, @treblemakeronkeys shared, "This situation is very real. I got called at midnight asking if I was available to play it today. I’m playing it, but this experience is not for the faint-hearted."
You can follow Maddie Corwin (@maddiecorwin) on Instagram to watch more concert-related videos.
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