This may be alarming, especially since it sounds like the plot of a good movie.
A 21-year-old university student has found herself in the spotlight after an incident occurred during a music performance in Sydney on Saturday night.
Rumors: Jimmy Kimmel Live viewers cheered a derogatory piece of news about Trump.
As The Guardian reports, Sterling Nasa, a political science and international relations student at the University of Sydney, was attending a live performance of "La La Land"—a touring production of the film that features a professional orchestra playing to the film's music—when the intermission dragged on suspiciously long.
After 40 minutes, Justin Hurwitz, the Oscar winner for his score to La La Land, took the stage with a rather unusual request.
It turned out that the keyboardist playing at the concert had fallen ill, and to continue the concert, Gurvits needed someone who could read music and play the piano. He hoped that someone from the orchestra would be up to the task—or that he could enlist one of his musician friends—but no one was suitable.
«"I thought, 'Well, we've got 2,500 people here,'" Hurwitz told The Guardian. In desperation, he decided to take a chance.
«"Is there anyone in the audience who is an amazing sight reader?" asks Gurvits in a video filmed by an audience member.
Composer Justin Hurwitz at a 2017 screening and Q&A for "La La Land" in Los Angeles. Variety via Getty Images
A NASA friend suggested his candidacy, and after Hurwitz asked NASA "a couple of additional questions," the composer decided to take a chance and trust the 21-year-old with his work.
«"It wasn't a set-up at all. Honestly, I was panicking," Hurwitz told 7NEWS Australia.
Buzz: 'How the hell is this possible?': Meryl Streep says this actress is so good it makes her want to 'retire'.
«"Okay, can you join us?" Hurwitz asks NASA, looking sheepish, in a video of the incident that shows the shocked faces of those sitting nearby.
Nasa, who also plays the organ and has worked as a bagpipe teacher, suddenly found himself performing the score of a conductor he respects in front of that conductor—and thousands of other people—without the opportunity to rehearse.
As a fan of La La Land, Nas knew he had a tough task ahead. The second act featured John Legend's "Start a Fire," which features a complex synth solo designed to match the unpredictable hand movements of Ryan Gosling's character in the film.
«"The synth solo is very technical, and I thought even a highly skilled professional sight-reader probably wouldn't be able to pull it off," Hurwitz told The Guardian. "When it came to performing it, I thought, 'Oh no, how is he even going to pull this solo off?'"»
Liked this article? Support independent journalism. Support HuffPost.
Sterling Nasa, 21, sits next to a piano. Screenshot from YouTube (7NEWS Australia)
At that point, NASA decided to take a risk and, instead of trying to play a complex solo, chose to do things his own way.
«"He foresaw it... and just improvised," Gurwitz said.
Culture: A deadly tragedy in Astromir sparked a heated debate about safety. Then one family took action.
The composer added: "It's a completely different skill than sight-reading music. Being able to play a truly great solo in the right key, in the right scale, on the fly, without rehearsal—that was amazing.".
The public was also impressed, and NASA received a standing ovation from the audience for its efforts.
«"It's always nice to get applause, a response," he told 7NEWS, recalling being singled out from the audience. "But I think there's also a bit of horror.".
NASA officials, who appeared to be rather modest about the rapid event, called it a "blessing.".
Entertainment industry news
-
Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trump right there in the ballroom at the awards ceremony on Sunday night.
-
The country singer flipped over the piano, apparently in anger.
-
Lenny Kravitz's concert took a breathtaking turn - literally.
Read the original article on HuffPost.