‘She’s a star’: virtuosic 12-year-old pianist stuns The Piano judges in Liverpool Street station
14 April 2025, 17:41 | Updated: 15 April 2025, 10:08
Young piano star Anisa Ford, who is now 13 years old, impressed new judge Jon Batiste on the first episode of The Piano Season 3.
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A 12-year-old pianist called Anisa wowed Jon Batiste, Mika and passers-by in Liverpool Street Station with an extraordinary performance of Mikhail Glinka’s Skylark in the newest series of The Piano.
Anisa’s performance gathered a huge crowd in the London train station, with Claudia Winkleman there with her and judges Mika and Jon Batiste watching from a nearby room.
Skylark is based on a poem by Nestor Kukolnik, in which a lark and his birdsong inspire a worker in the field to sing out loudly and to carry his message across the world.
“I have family scattered across the whole world, in France, Germany, Holland, Iran,” Anisa said. ”I feel like this piece really represents the meaning of hope for all of us to reunite. I think that will run across my mind while I’m playing.”
Talking to his co-judge, Batiste described Anisa as a “star”, and said: “That takes a level of understanding of the music that isn’t looking at the notes and playing what’s on the page, not to mention the accuracy and the velocity of her playing.”
Read more: Lang Lang surprises 10-year-old superfan on The Piano after sparkling Haydn solo
12-year-old wows with performance on The Piano
“That’s a powerful person who happens to be 12,” he added.
As Anisa finished playing, that audience that had built erupted into applause and she clasped her mouth in disbelief and embraced her parents.
“Look, they’re all clapping!” Claudia Winkleman told her as she pointed to people cheering from all around the station.
“That’s kind of like an instinctive confidence which doesn’t come across as precocious,” Mika said, “It’s warm and generous.”
The hit television series returned to Channel 4 this weekend for a third season, with pianist Lang Lang being replaced by Jon Batiste, and Claudia Winkleman and Mika both returning.
The series searches for some of the greatest amateur pianists from across the UK, and was won in 2024 by Brad Kella and in 2023 by Lucy Illingworth.
Watch Anisa’s full performance below.
12-Year-Old Anisa Plays The Piano Beautifully | The Piano Series 3
