Derek Paravicini is 19. He’s blind and he can’t read or write. But he plays like a virtuoso. Life has been difficult for Derek from the start. He was born prematurely, weighing 0.7 kg. He battled on, but there was an excess of oxygen while he was sleeping in his incubator. It caused brain damage and blindness. Doctor feared the worst, but Derek lived and soon showed amazing musical abilities. At the age of three, he was playing a plastic organ. Then he started copying songs he heard, note for note.
Derek now plays the piano – obsessively – for about four hours a day, and regularly takes part in concerts. “His music is remarkable”, says his mother. “He does incredible leaps from classical to pop to musicals” So, now, as Derek is about to go to a special college for the blind, what are his ambition? “He doesn’t think very long time”, says his mother. “He lives from day to day, playing music.”