Audience member Sterling Nasa steps in to perform at Sydney La La Land concert after keyboardist falls ill
Consensus Summary
On June 1, 2026, during a La La Land in Concert performance at Sydney’s Darling Harbour theatre, 21-year-old University of Sydney student Sterling Nasa stepped in to replace the orchestra’s sick keyboardist after Oscar-winning composer Justin Hurwitz asked the audience for a sight-reading pianist. Nasa, who plays piano and organ and teaches bagpipes, hesitated before volunteering after encouragement from his friend Scarlett. He performed on the celeste, including a technically demanding synth solo in 'Start a Fire,' which he improvised after realizing he couldn’t sight-read it perfectly. The audience gave him a standing ovation, and Hurwitz later praised his ability to adapt under pressure. While the experience was surreal and thrilling for Nasa, he remains focused on his studies in politics and international relations, though the incident has sparked discussions about his potential future in music.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- 21-year-old Sterling Nasa, a University of Sydney politics and international studies student, performed at the La La Land in Concert show in Sydney on 2026-06-01 (Saturday night) after the orchestra’s keyboardist fell ill during the interval
- The concert took place at the ICC’s Darling Harbour theatre in Sydney, with an audience of approximately 2,500 people
- Justin Hurwitz, the Oscar-winning composer and conductor of La La Land, asked the audience if there was a pianist with exceptional sight-reading skills to replace the sick keyboardist
- Nasa played the celeste (bell-piano) and improvised during the technically challenging synth solo in the John Legend song 'Start a Fire'
- Nasa hesitated before volunteering but was encouraged by his friend Scarlett, who urged him to put his hand up
- The performance earned Nasa a resounding ovation from the audience, and Hurwitz later praised his ability to improvise the synth solo
- Nasa plays piano, organ, and teaches bagpipes at his old school, Scots College
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Hurwitz revealed that the orchestra’s musicians frantically phoned local contacts for backup players, but offers were 15 to 20 minutes away, prompting his decision to ask the audience
- Hurwitz described the synth solo as 'really technical' and admitted he was nervous about Nasa’s ability to handle it
- Nasa reflected that he was a longtime admirer of Hurwitz’s work and called playing the soundtrack a 'blessing'
- The production team is scrambling to rehearse new keyboardists for the upcoming Melbourne and Brisbane legs of the tour
- Nasa described his friend Scarlett’s encouragement as 'just do it, it’ll be good dad lore'
- Nasa mentioned that he was playing piano at his local church on Sunday morning, trying to keep the La La Land experience in perspective
- Nasa said he felt grateful to keep the show going for the audience, who had paid for a good experience
- The article notes that Nasa’s high point before this was singing in a 2024 amateur production of Jersey Boys
- The third Guardian article is a brief teaser mentioning the event but does not add new factual details beyond the headline
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states the interval stretched to 40 minutes, while the SMH does not specify the length of the interval
- The Guardian mentions the audience size as 2,500, while the third Guardian article says 2,000 (likely a typo or rounding difference)
Source Articles
Is there a pianist in the house? Audience member steps up to perform in La La Land in Sydney
Sterling Nasa had tickets to see Justin Hurwitz’s La La Land in Concert. When the keyboardist suddenly fell ill, he found himself on stage performing Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast La La Land is a much adored homage to Hollywood , where dreamers take chances and seize unexpected moments. On Saturday night at the ICC’s Darling Harbour theatre, that idea became a reality for a 21-year-old university student who was thrust into the spotlight at a live performance of th
A musician was too sick to play, so the call went out to the audience. Sterling ran to the stage
Sterling Nasa answered a call from composer-conductor Justin Hurwitz when a musician was too sick to continue.
Audience member takes over from sick keyboardist at Sydney La La Land concert – video
At Saturday night's performance of La La Land in Concert in Sydney, 21-year-old Sterling Nasa took the stage after Oscar-winning composer and conductor Justin Hurwitz asked if there was an 'amazing sight reader' in the audience. Addressing the 2,000-strong audience, Horowitz made the call-out after the orchestra's lead keyboardist fell ill and had to leave during interval. Nasa suddenly found himself sitting at a keyboard he had never played before – a celeste – staring down a complex score he