As shoppers went about a last-minute buying spree on Christmas Eve, a little girl sat down at a grand piano in Cape Town's Table Bay Mall and proceeded to mesmerise them.
Eight-year-old Rebecca Seziba was taught to play piano by her oldest brother Joshua, who introduced his family to the instrument.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, their father Emmanuel said he and his wife were not at all musical. He is a self-employed trader, while his spouse is a housewife.
However, their love of classical music sparked their children's interest and led Joshua, 15, to teach himself to play.
At the age of six he grasped how to do so by watching YouTube videos and using a keyboard. This led to his YouTube channel, where he posts videos of himself playing classical melodies.
“They developed a love for classical music and taught themselves. I never took them to piano training,” said Emmanuel.
Joshua has since assisted his siblings in learning how to play, with their parents buying them a piano last year.
Now Rebecca and her second-oldest brother Caleb, 13, are also pianists. The two only started playing the instrument last year, Emmanuel said.
“Caleb is practising as we speak. He just paused so I could speak to you. They practise every day. They can learn a song in a couple of days and play it from memory. Sometimes my wife and I are shocked because we can’t do that.”
The children often play the piano at Table Bay Mall, doing so when shopping as a family.
After Rebecca grabbed social media users' attention on Christmas Eve, Emmanuel said he had no idea his daughter’s performance would generate such interest.
“This video of Rebecca shocked us. It had so many views. We were all surprised.”
In it, Rebecca can be seen sitting behind the piano with her hair in a high ponytail, a pink and white bag hanging from her shoulder. With just more than a year’s experience, she confidently tinkled Celine Dion's hit, My Heart Will Go On.
Her performance started quietly, without drawing much attention. But as the beat built to a crescendo, shoppers started gathering.
The girl’s fingers fluttered like butterflies across the keyboard as she played, seemingly unaware of the attention.
Shoppers stopped what they were doing to watch Rebecca, some videoing her with their cellphones, while others gasped as her fingers headed towards the higher notes.
In September, the siblings performed at a Greyton Tourism fundraiser to help purchase a piano and marimba instruments for the newly established music department at Emil Weder High School in Genadendal.
“We are happy for them and we thank God for the gift that is bestowed upon our children. Their little sister, who is 6, wants to be a violinist. We recently bought her a violin and she will also probably teach herself how to play,” said Emmanuel.
Table Bay Mall brought in the baby grand in 2019 for pianists to share their flair for the instrument during the festive season.
TimesLIVE
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