James Matthews, a student at the University of Western Florida, has gone from homelessness to playing in the hallowed Carnegie Hall. ”I always had my piano, and it’s always been my escape,” he told Pensacola News Journal.
“I decided if I never gave up it would get me through life, and it has. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for music.”
The now 24-year old pianist went to Florida Southern College after graduating high school, but fell on hard times and found himself homeless for almost a year and a half. He slept in his school’s 24-hour piano studio until his teacher found him.
“He found me sleeping in his studio and pretty much got me out of that situation, found me a different school to go to where I had a dorm and a roof over my head,” Matthews told NBC 5.
Thank to his teacher’s help, Matthews is now expected to graduate from UWF in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in music.
He entered the 2014 American Protege International piano and strings competition and received an honorable mention, which garnered him the prize of a performance at Carnegie Hall.
The concert will be attended by musicians from around the world and could potentially jumpstart Matthews’ music career.
However, he’s just staying the course. “I really don’t know what’s going to happen with it or anything, but I’m just gonna go and show my best and just stay focused.”
The performance will take place in the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall on April 20th.