I have always loved grassroots movements that start with a simple idea and somehow grow into something wonderful.
Back in 2014, Ivan Manko-Vertogradov had such an idea. He dragged an old upright into the street, teamed up with a pianist friend, and started playing. Soon, people stopped, listened, and started playing themselves.
A journalist picked up the story, and Ivan declared November 8 “World Pianist Day.” No lengthy approvals, no grand organisation and no budget. It was just an idea, and 88 keys!
A grand piano
By 2026, “World Pianist Day” had gone global, with countless countries and cities marking the day. Tinkling pianos fill the air, and the world becomes a festival of 88 keys and creativity.
Nicholas McCarthy performs Scriabin: Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9, No. 2
The Power of a Musical Dream
It’s not really a day about esteemed concert pianists and child prodigies, but about the simple affection we all share for the instrument. For the 2026 celebration, I want to tell the story of Nicholas McCarthy, one of the most inspiring pianists I know.
Nicholas McCarthy
When Nicholas was about fourteen, he watched a school friend perform Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata, and he knew instantly he wanted to become a pianist. People didn’t take him seriously, however, because Nicholas had been born without a right hand.
His family wasn’t really into classical music, but they did buy him a little keyboard. Nicholas taught himself how to play, and he practised for hours every day. It turns out he was hugely talented!
He auditioned at various music schools, but was rejected multiple times. Finally, he was accepted into the junior department at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and was told to focus specifically on repertoire written for the left hand.
Nicholas McCarthy performs Schubert: Erlkönig, arr. Zichy
A Dream Fulfilled
He won the annual piano prize and enrolled in the keyboard department at the Royal College of Music, becoming its first one-handed graduate in 2012.
He made his debut at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, and he played Scriabin’s Nocturne for the Left Hand, Op. 9, No. 2, as his encore.
On that specific occasion, McCarthy declared that “a dream had come true.” Today he works with ABRSM to develop a one-handed grading syllabus to support student pianists with limb differences, a programme that launched in 2025.
When McCarthy was asked in an interview what playing the piano meant to him, he responded: “For me, it gives me that comfort. Even when I see it in my house, when I sit next to a piano, it’s a comforting feeling for me.”
“So that’s why when I go on stage, I don’t get nervous. Because for me, walking on stage toward a piano, it’s like going to a comfort blanket when you’re a kid or something like that. It’s always a comforting part of my life, too. It’s always there.”
The Magic of 88 Keys
Nicholas McCarthy once explained that he knew he was put on this earth to communicate through music, and that the piano would be the way he did it. On November 8, let’s celebrate the pianists who fill the streets and concert halls, as well as the children discovering their first notes.
You don’t need to be a virtuoso, and you don’t even need ten fingers. And you certainly don’t need an audience. All you really need is a piano and a little love for music. Happy World Pianist Day! Let’s celebrate the magic of 88 keys.
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