When Adrian Romoff, then nine years old, entered the America’s Got Talent stage in 2014, the judges assumed he was just another adorable child. Then he casually remarked that his greatest passion was the piano and that he had already skipped five grades to reach the eighth. Although the audience chuckled, you could sense their interest growing.
Adrian began his audition with an incredibly rapid rendition of “Flight of the Bumblebee” on the keyboard. His small hands moved over the keys so swiftly that Howard Stern actually wondered how much of what they were hearing was him and how much was backing track. Adrian offered to perform a second piece live to demonstrate his confidence, which was the most self-assured thing a 9-year-old could do on national television.
Any hesitation was immediately dispelled when he began Chopin’s “Grande Valse Brillante.” He was well beyond his years in terms of technique, control, and musicality. As he concluded, the judges erupted in applause after sitting in stunned silence. Howie Mandel referred to him as “the future,” and the panel highlighted his enormous charisma, wit, and charm in addition to his extraordinary piano abilities. Adrian solidified his status as one of AGT’s most memorable child prodigies by receiving four simple “Yes” votes and a seat in the following round.
