'La La Land' kid from Sydney nails Ryan Gosling solos at the Greek Theatre

Here’s to the ones who dream.

The anthemic thesis of “La La Land” — the Ryan Gosling/Emma Stone movie philharmonic celebrating its 10th day — became a infinitesimal of philharmonic world successful May erstwhile a 21-year-old pupil successful Sydney, Australia, was plucked from the assemblage astatine a unrecorded performance of the movie during intermission. Sterling Nasa proceeded to stun composer-conductor Justin Hurwitz and the 2,000-person assemblage with his flawless, impromptu performance.

“Jumping into that performance successful Sydney, and having an earpiece and seeing each this, was a small spot crazy,” says Nasa with well-mannered modesty, “but we someway got done it.”

Conductor Justin Hurwitz with pianist Sterling Nasa performing the soundtrack of “La La Land” astatine the Greek Theatre.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Nasa is sitting backstage astatine the Greek Theatre betwixt rehearsals, preparing to marque his Los Angeles debut. After that singular incident, an planetary feel-good quality story, Hurwitz invited Nasa to alert retired and play the full performance astatine the day screening here, successful Griffith Park, wherever galore of the film’s iconic scenes were shot.

“He’s playing amended than astir of the nonrecreational pianists I’ve worked with,” says Hurwitz, who regularly conducts “La La Land successful Concert.”

“He’s nailing it,” Hurwitz explains during a break. “Those Sebastian solos, the ones that Ryan Gosling plays successful the movie, he’s playing those arsenic perfectly and cleanly arsenic I’ve heard them successful a precise agelong time. Very fewer of the pianists I enactment with astir the satellite — and they’re each large professionals — but precise fewer of them play it this good successful sync with the picture.”

Saturday’s rehearsals took spot nether a scorching sun. Half of the assembled musicians played connected the film’s archetypal soundtrack; prima trumpet soloist Bijon Watson tin adjacent beryllium seen wailing successful the Lighthouse jazz scenes. Sitting successful the midst of these seasoned L.A. sessions players, Nasa looked focused but confident, his youthful look belying his easy, fleet-fingered playing.

Pianist Sterling Nasa heads to the signifier Saturday aft intermission during the 10th day amusement featuring a afloat orchestra and jazz set performing the “La La Land” soundtrack astatine the Greek Theatre.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

He flew successful from Sydney connected Thursday, leaving a rainy Australian wintertime for a California vigor wave. The archetypal pitchy limb was rough, helium says, but helium had mostly adjusted by Saturday. Hurwitz took immoderate one-on-one signifier clip with him earlier the orchestra arrived, and Nasa had besides been practicing his portion for six weeks.

Nasa (an Anglicized Lebanese name) has been playing soft since helium was 3. His parents encouraged his philharmonic education, and he’s performed capable successful bands and section philharmonic theatre not to endure from signifier fright. He besides plays the bagpipes, and has played with 300 bagpipers for 10,000 radical astatine the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo astatine Edinburgh Castle.

“I’ve ever had a spot of an inkling that I’d emotion to beryllium a musician,” Nasa says, “or if I tin find immoderate accidental successful the creator world, oregon successful philharmonic theatre oregon successful music, that I would emotion too. But I did benignant of get the ‘real’ degree.”

He was finishing his studies successful planetary relations astatine the University of Sydney erstwhile the cosmic infinitesimal happened successful May. His person Scarlett was the 1 who enthusiastically pushed Nasa’s manus up erstwhile Hurwitz, panicking, asked if anyone successful the assemblage was an “amazing show reader.”

“I beryllium truthful overmuch of this to her,” Nasa says. “I truly astir apt would not person done it.”

The 10th day amusement of “La La Land” featured a afloat orchestra and jazz band.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

He played the full 2nd fractional of the performance that night. (The hired pianist fell sick and had to leave.) Nasa says helium thinks Australians were inclined to basal for an underdog — “the assemblage that nighttime truly conscionable wanted it to work” — but for this large L.A. moment, “I deliberation present there’s evidently a spot much of an expectation.”

As the twilight performance began, Hurwitz addressed the sold-out Greek Theatre — a lively assemblage filled with yellowish dresses — and amazed them by announcing that the “kid from Sydney” was present to play the full show. Nasa absorbed his ovation, past took his seat successful the mediate of the orchestra with a small show displaying the movie connected his piano.

He played the melancholy strains of “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme,” a solo soft motif that Gosling’s quality plays passim the film; helium accompanied their flirty “City of Stars” duet, and helium performed each of Sebastian’s acrobatic jazz solos — galore of them meticulously synced to corresponding shots of fingers connected a keyboard.

“La La Land” plays connected the surface astatine the Greek Theatre portion an orchestra and jazz set travel the film.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

The movie itself was projected implicit the stage, but monitors connected either broadside showed Nasa and the different unrecorded musicians. A young pistillate successful beforehand of maine watched his hands, perfectly aligned with Gosling’s, with her jaw dropped. Nasa ne'er missed a note, and helium received different outsized ovation aft the rousing extremity credits.

“I’ve thought a batch astir opportunity, and however there’s truthful overmuch endowment successful the world,” says Hurwitz, reflecting connected the infinitesimal successful Sydney. “And there’s besides truthful overmuch lost endowment successful the world, endowment that conscionable isn’t realized. And I conscionable emotion that determination was this talented guy, who’s a large musician, but helium was successful schoolhouse studying thing other — due to the fact that helium didn’t cognize if helium could oregon should spell into music. And past determination was this opportunity, and helium took it, and helium showed everybody — and helium showed himself — that helium tin bash it.”

Nasa says he’s not definite what he’ll bash present that he’s graduated, but 1 happening he’s funny successful is composing for philharmonic theatre — oregon perchance scoring films.