A former Addenbrooke’s patient who had all her fingers amputated when she was four-years-old will appear on prime-time national television this weekend – playing the piano.
Grace Matthews, 19, who also lost her lower legs after meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia, will appear in the first episode of the latest series of Channel 4’s The Piano at 9pm on Sunday (12 July) presented by Claudia Winkleman at Birmingham’s New Street Station.
Grace, whose application for the hit show was endorsed by her former Addenbrooke’s music therapist Dawn Loombe, will be seen playing the contemporary classical piece "Experience", by the renowned Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi.
Viewers will be able to follow the contestants’ progress over the next seven weeks with the final at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall attracting an audience of more than 2000.
Speaking from the family home in Norwich about the series, which was pre-recorded earlier this year, Vicky said:
Grace performed in front of a few hundred people and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She also got on like a house on fire with Claudia.
Grace is fed up with hearing how proud we are of her. She keeps telling us to stop talking about it!
Vicky Matthews
WATCH: Grace playing the piano
Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/Incjvr0tXwM?feature=share
It was back in January 2011, when Grace fell ill with a temperature and was rushed to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital and transferred to Addenbrooke’s. Despite nine days in intensive care, her condition deteriorated with tests confirming meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia. She came close to death, and clinicians decided surgery was her only option.
She improved and over the next few difficult weeks Dawn and the hospital play specialists became the highlight of her day. Despite her bandages, she took a shine to a set of eight octave ‘rainbow bells’, bravely accompanying Dawn, who played the accordion or guitar.
Once home with Vicky, dad Brian, and brother Tom, she progressed from a little electric keyboard to a full-sized electric piano, bought as a combined 14th birthday and Christmas present.
Today the teenager, who has prosthetic legs, delights her family with anything from Pink, Adele, Queen and Bruce Springsteen hitting the notes with uncanny accuracy using her palm, half a thumb and the stub of a little finger. She also arranges all the music herself.
Over the years the family kept in touch with Dawn, culminating in 2023 with a reunion at Anglia Ruskin University’s (ARU) music therapy centre in Cambridge, where the children’s outpatient music therapy sessions currently take place.
Grace had a work experience day, shadowing Dawn as a music therapist and observing some of the children’s music therapy sessions. Grace and Dawn also enjoyed playing duets together.
Grace now has a traditional upright piano at home and plays every day. She and Dawn have had subsequent musical get-togethers and jam sessions – playing as friends now, rather than in music therapy.
Dawn, who retired after a long career at Addenbrooke’s but now works part-time for Suffolk Music Therapy Services, said:
I had no hesitation in recommending Grace for The Piano and of course she performed beautifully at New Street Station. She is a fabulous musician.
From the first time I met Grace, it was obvious that she was incredibly resilient and musically gifted. She loved all the instruments, particularly the accordion, guitar, piano keyboard and the rainbow bells. She wanted to play everything and could copy melodies in no time. Musically, she was interested in everything. It’s great to see her still enjoying her music so much, 15 years later!
Dawn Loombe
For more information on music therapy, visit our Music therapy department page.