A 21-year-old university student saved a Sydney performance of La La Land with live orchestra after the keyboardist fell ill. Conductor Justin Hurwitz asked the audience if there was a pianist, and Sterling Nasa stepped in, performing the second half without error, including an improvised solo.
Similar heroics occurred at the 1974 Proms, when baritone Thomas Allen collapsed during Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Audience member Patrick McCarthy, a recent music graduate, volunteered and performed the role, with none of the radio listeners aware of the substitution.
These incidents highlight the risks of live performance, from broken strings to wrong concertos. Pianist Maria João Pires famously played Mozart's Piano Concerto No 20 from memory after realising she had prepared the wrong piece.
Such moments break the barrier between audience and performers, reminding us of the skill required. As McCarthy said, it was 'a dream-like experience', and both he and Nasa seized their unexpected chances.
