17-Year-Old Teen Breaks Record, Passes ABRSM's Highest Test with One Hand

JAKARTA - A 17-year-old teenager from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Freya Terris, has made a new history in the international music world.

Freya became the first pianist to pass with distinction in the high-level piano exam (Grade 8) from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) by relying only on her left hand.

Freya's success is very remarkable considering that the Grade 8 exam is one of the highest levels that requires high complexity techniques.

ABRSM, as the most prestigious classical music examination body in the world, confirmed that Freya is the first musician in their history to achieve this certification using a special left-hand repertoire.

This historic moment began two years ago when Freya suffered a long-term injury followed by surgery, so that her right hand could no longer be moved to press the piano keys.

Facing this situation, Freya refused to give up and chose to explore musical works composed specifically for the left hand with her teacher, Rory Dowse.

"My left hand can actually play, but not at all the way it needs to be now. I kind of stumbled into it and unconsciously built the technique," Freya said when recounting his struggle, quoted by the BBC, Monday, July 13.

Freya's perseverance bore fruit after going through an intensive training process for two years. Frustrated because he had not achieved the highest qualification, he convinced the ABRSM to modify the list of repertoire for the exam to suit his physical limitations. The board of examiners welcomed him and sent him a special composition list for the left hand.

"They are very encouraging, they all support and are just as happy as me about this," added Freya.

Freya's success is not only a personal proof for her, but also has a massive impact on musical inclusiveness.

Inspired by Freya's struggle, ABRSM officially launched a new 2027-28 syllabus in June 2026 which provides a special one-handed repertoire list for Grades 1 to 8. This policy opens up equal opportunities for one-handed musicians in ABRSM's 93 operational countries.

"I'm happy to be able to prove to them that the hard work they did to realize this exam was not in vain with the results I got. This means a lot to me," concluded the young musician who is now preparing to continue his music studies at the university.