NJ first responder plays famous piano to honor frontline workers

PRINCETON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- This year has been incredibly stressful for all of us, but our first responders have bravely and selflessly led the way.

On Wednesday, one of our frontline heroes got the healing opportunity to make music on a legendary piano.

It's something a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Princeton hasn't done since the pandemic began.

"I can sort of have in the back of my mind just the incredible places that this piano has been and the folks who have played on it," says Lee Sandberg, a volunteer firefighter for the Princeton Fire Department and an EMT for the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad. "I mean, it really is just a dream come true."

The Steinway piano was handpicked and signed by legendary pianist Yuja Wang and has been used in iconic venues including Carnegie Hall.

"To have an idol that you respect and are completely in awe of, and to be able to use that piano yourself, it really is kind of a humbling experience," Sandberg says.

"When you look at somebody like Lee who faces the pandemic on a daily basis and risked his life for all of us, it's humbling to hear him play," says Robert Rinaldi, the senior vice president of Jacobs Music.

This was all part of the Jacobs Music Company's celebration of health care workers and first responders at their new showroom in Princeton.