OMPHITLHETSE MOOKI
THERE were tears, there were gasps and there were screams as an excited crowd, made up mainly of young children, were treated to a performance by 10-year-old Ethan Bortnick.
The preteen has recently been certified by the Guinness World Records as the youngest solo musician to headline his own tour.
“Tonight we are going to have fun. I want you guys to have fun. I want to inspire you guys to live your dreams,” the musical sensation said as he slipped on a pair of shades and sang Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World.
His amazing piano skills had the audience packed into Gold Reef City’s The Lyric theatre, mainly children from orphanages, entranced.
His rendition of Little Richard’s Good Golly Miss Molly had themjumping up and down.
“Everything I hear is music. Every time my dad drops his keys, the sea waves, popcorn popping and the birds singing… it’s like a symphony,” Ethan said between songs.
At the end of his show, the children were given a chance to ask Ethan questions and the boy, who had played the entire show from memory, answered in a manner that belied his age.
Beatrice Nhlapo, 12, asked him how he managed to get his parents to support his musical talent.
Ethan asked the girl to join him on stage and when he found out later that Beatrice lived at a children’s home, he invited her backstage, where he gave her an autographed CD.