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1 Jul 2022, 19:49
Credit: Nordoff Robbins
A piano once owned by the late, great George Michael has raised a staggering amount of cash for music charity Nordoff Robbins.
The organisation held their annual star-studded auction during the 2022 Silver Clef Awards, in which Tom Walker, Griff, London Grammar and Peter Gabriel were all honoured with prizes.
One of the most talked about moments came when George’s prized Bechstein grand piano was on the lot, and went under the hammer for a brilliant £200,000.
Before it was auctioned off, the piano was played by blind and autistic pianist Derek Paravicini, who performed Cowboys and Angels during the awards ceremony.
The auction was virtual, which meant anyone around the world could bid on taking home a piece of music history.
The Careless Whisper singer won his own Silver Clef prize in 1989 for his outstanding contribution to UK music.
During that year’s event, George bid a large amount of money on a guitar, which he then re-donated to be auctioned off again the following year.
The piano was provided by George’s Estate, who said they were proud to be able to continue his legacy with Nordoff Robbins.
They explained in a statement: “George supported many charitable and philanthropic causes during his lifetime which his Estate will continue to do in his memory.
“We hope that the return of the O2 Silver Clef lunch after a two-year absence will be a huge success and that the piano will raise a substantial amount of money to help continue this vital work after the toughest couple of years for the sector that most of us can remember.”
In total, the Silver Clef Awards raised £750,000 for Nordoff Robbins, meaning more money to help those most vulnerable with music therapy.
Tom Walker was one of the big winners of the event, taking home the Best Male award.
Speaking to virginradio.co.uk about winning the award, the Serotonin singer, who brought Nan Sadie to the red carpet, said: “It’s such a brilliant charity. Everybody can understand music, everybody can get on board with it. Everybody can feel emotion while they're hearing the song, whether it's in their language or not. There's something for everybody in music. I think that's why it's so important.”
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