THE Christmas wish of a young Sydney pianist will come true on Christmas Eve, when 11-year-old Matthew Zhou will perform at Carols by Candlelight with Wicked star Lucy Durack. Legally blind, Matthew has oculocutaneous albinism, a genetic condition that affects one in 20,000 Australians, and has been working with Vision Australia since he was just three months old. His mum Jia said that when Matthew was younger he dropped things easily, so his Vision Support Teacher recommended he learn to play the piano to strengthen his fingers. Now musically gifted, he plays the piano, marimba, drums and is a member of two bands — but nothing is more exciting than his upcoming carols performance. “He is very excited and thinks it is very cool!” Ms Zhou said. “He is so happy to have such a big role in Vision Australia’s night of nights.” Vision Australia is such a big part of Matthew and his twin sister Annabelle’s lives that, when they turned eight, instead of presents they asked friends to donate to the cause and raised over $1000. Matthew’s fundraising efforts continued this year, when he raised over $3000 for their Light a Candle Christmas Appeal. Ms Zhou said music had given Matthew a creative outlet: “When you are bored, you can always play on the piano as there is always something new to learn. He loves to perform and is thrilled to be performing at Carols by Candlelight.”
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:36:13 +0000
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