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Meet Openly Gay One-Handed Concert Pianist Nicholas McCarthy

Nicholas McCarthy, an out concert pianist in the UK, recently spoke with our friends at Attitude Magazine about not letting being born with one hand prevent him from becoming the brilliant musician he is today.

Undetected by doctors while his mother was pregnant with him, Nicholas's parents didn't realize he didn't have two hands until he was born.

From the get-go, Nicholas's family never looked as this as a defect.

Because I was born the way I was I never knew any different. To me, having one hand is completely normal.

My parents instilled in me a lot of self-belief, so I never felt as if it would stop me from doing something.

Despite the positive outlook, some music schools were not as optimistic about Nicholas's future as a pianist.

The first time I tried to audition for a music school they turned me down (before even seeing me in person) because the headmistress felt I wouldn’t be able to play the piano due to the fact I only have one hand.

I wouldn’t have minded being turned down once they watched me perform, it was the fact the door was closed in my face before being given a chance.

Nicholas's strategy was to learn pieces written specifically for the left hand.

Often the "weaker" hand for 19th century pianists, artists would often compose these arrangement simply as a way to "show off" to audiences.

"The audiences used to love it and the repertoire was developed from there," Nicholas said. "If you were to close your eyes when I was playing you would never know it was just one hand playing."

The musician also discussed his "accidental" coming out story, after his mother discovered a birthday card sent to him on his 18th birthday, where he was referred to as the "gay best friend."

Nicholas said after his concerned mother called his father to inform him, his dad replied, "‘You’d have to be dead not to know Nicholas was gay."

This story sounds like a movie. Can someone get on it please?

Check out Nicholas' upcoming gigs on his website, and watch a video of him performing below.

h/t: Attitude Magazine

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