In October, Limelight put out a call for budding concert pianists to send in videos of themselves performing. The prize: a one-on-one masterclass with acclaimed pianist Steven Osborne. The winner: Sydney Conservatorium-trained pianist Jeremy So, a finalist in this year’s ABC Young Performers Awards. And what good timing: less than 24 hours after his private lesson with the British pianist, Jeremy was on a plane to London for auditions, inspired and armed with new insights.

The masterclass took place in the depths of the Australian Chamber Orchestra headquarters at Circular Quay, in a spare moment during Steven’s tour playing Shostakovich and Prokofiev with the ACO. After wheeling two Steinways into place, the afternoon started with Jeremy playing through Rachmaninov’s Piano Sonata No 2. We were all transfixed as the 21-year-old weaved his way through the turbulent terrain of the sonata. There was no sign of nerves from the young pianist, despite sitting alongside one of Britain’s most impressively versatile musicians.

As Jeremy was leaving the very next day for his auditions, Steven didn’t want to disturb his student’s overall interpretation of the Rachmaninov, so he started with something a little more basic: how to sit...