On Dec. 8, the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center welcomed Paul Cardall, who performed for a full house at the newly-renovated venue. The Steinway & Sons-sponsored pianist – whose music has three times reached the top spot on Billboard charts and averages 25 million monthly streaming listeners – is also a composer and music producer who has his own record label. During the concert, he brought a little girl up to the stage. That little girl was 10-year-old Hannah Priestley, who sat at the RGPAC Steinway & Sons Model D Concert Grand Piano and played like a pro for hundreds of audience members.

 

Cardall said it was all spur of the moment and something not usually done at his shows.

 

“I don’t know why I chose that moment, but I saw a father with his daughter and I thought how cool it was that he would take her to a piano concert,” he said. “I have two daughters of my own. Every minute I spend with family is priceless.”

 

At each concert, Cardall said he watches his audiences closely, in order to connect with them musically and emotionally. On this particular night – with such a good group in the audience – he made an effort to connect even further.

 

“I thought ‘Why not write a song for this beautiful town?’ I have done this at a couple of shows in the past, but it’s rare and hasn’t happened for a very long time,” he said. “I asked for volunteers to come up and help me. Hannah raised her hand and gladly came up on stage.”

 

Cardall said he asked her if she played piano and she said that she did.

 

“I looked at her dad and you could see joy in his heart which meant the world to me,” Cardall said. “I asked if she had played a piano recital recently. She said yes and so I asked if she would play it for all of us. The crowd was excited.”

 

Hannah went on to introduce and play the theme from “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

 

“That’s not an easy song,” Cardall said. “She sat and performed and wowed all of us.”

 

Chad Priestley said he was proud of his daughter and blown away about the opportunity she was given. But he can’t say he was surprised with her performance or the confidence she displayed.

 

“She’s always been pretty independent and anything she does is 100 percent,” he said.

 

Hannah said she wasn’t nervous and that she had performed the same piece the night before at her home school group talent show at Fairmont’s Trinity Assembly of God.

 

She said she loved the whole concert, especially the encore. She was excited to attend the show because she likes piano music, but now she is definitely a Paul Cardall fan. She said it was her piano teacher, Carla Engle, who gave her the show tickets.

 

“Miss Carla’s church got like 10 tickets and told her to give them out to her special students and she gave some to us,” Hannah said. “We were supposed to go in November, but (Cardall’s) flight was cancelled and it was rescheduled for Dec. 8.”

 

It was a father-daughter date that started with dinner at China Buffet. They actually left the house without the concert tickets and almost didn’t go. They decided just to go ahead to the venue and purchase tickets at the door.

 

They are sure glad they did.

 

Natashia Priestley stayed home with her two younger children, but she was moved beyond words upon finding out after the concert about Hannah’s opportunity.

 

Hannah has studied under Engle since she was a toddler taking Kindermusik. Since the age of 7, she has been her piano student. Engle said it was indeed a proud teacher moment.

 

“With nerves of steel, she performed on stage - with no advanced notice - in front of hundreds of people with musicality, poise and grace and has made me cry multiple times as I watch the video,” Engle said. “My heart is singing with her music!”

 

Music connects all of us, Cardall said.

 

“There’s nothing more beautiful than the opportunity to send the piano to play a song that interprets emotions. The crowd obviously was thrilled, but more importantly, Hannah and her father had a moment they’ll never forget,” he said. “That’s magic that happens – and if I can provide that for people while drawing attention away from myself, I would love to do that all day long.”

 

Though Hannah loved performing for the large audience at a big, fancy venue, she doesn’t think she will pursue being a concert pianist. She’s planning on becoming a veterinarian – or maybe a vet assistant.

 

The event was organized by John Paul Nardelli to benefit Healthy Harrison, a coalition which strives to improve the health and wellness of Harrison County citizens. It was made possible, in part, by The Barbara B. Highland Fund for the Arts and the Cultural Foundation.

 

Cardall is also a speaker and philanthropist who regularly attends medical conferences across the country, talking about his own congenital heart disease experience.

 

Hannah said she was equally impressed with Cardall’s personal story about his medical challenges and his perseverance.

“He was so kind, gracious and humble,” Chad Priestley said. “She picked up on that. It was a great example to her.”