Q&A: Nicholas McCarthy

NM: Actually, not at all. I was born without my right hand, so being a pianist isn't the first choice of career that anyone would have thought for me. It definitely wasn't my parents' first choice of career for me either, given they are both non-musicians. My disability was the biggest hurdle that I faced in my career, but another was my age. I didn't display a wish to start playing the piano until I was 14, which is incredibly late in the day if you want to become a professional musician.

NM: I used to play two-handed repertoire with my little arm and my left hand, and I did a few of my first Grades that way because I knew nothing about left-hand-alone repertoire. I was very much feeling my way in the darkness, and I didn't know anything about conservatoires or exam boards. But I had a lovely local piano teacher who thought outside of the box, and at that time I felt that was so important for me as a disabled person going into this traditional setting. I come from a working-class background; I even sold my PlayStation in order to fund some of my piano lessons when I was younger.