When Adrian Anantawan was in 5th grade, his teacher announced that everyone would be learning to play a flute-like musical instrument called the recorder. Anantawan knew this would be difficult for him. Born without most of his right forearm, Anantawan has only his left hand—and not enough fingers to play the recorder. Now a world-class violinist and music teacher, Anantawan is dedicated to expanding opportunities for musicians with disabilities.

Anantawan is inspired by his own journey with music. When he realized he couldn’t play the recorder, he struggled to think of an instrument he could play. Then he saw violinist Itzhak Perlman on an episode of Sesame Street. Although Perlman has the use of both hands, he requires leg braces to walk due to a childhood case of polio. Watching Perlman play the violin made Anantawan want to try it. 

But while the stringed instrument requires only five fingers to play, it also requires the player to move a bow with their other hand. So Anantawan and his parents went to a hospital near their home in Toronto, Canada, and asked specialists there to make an adaptive cast for Anantawan. The cast the specialists made, called a spatula, allows Anantawan to use his right shoulder muscles to move the bow of his violin. 

“A lot of times, we let fear get in the way of trying anything,” Anantawan told Good Morning America. “For me, my story has always been a result of just trying something, being okay with failure, and then just seeing what the results are.”

It took Anantawan some time to get used to maneuvering the bow. After a while, he says, “my body sort of figured it out on its own. You start from the sound, and a student who is passionate will figure it out.” Anantawan eventually had several teachers, including Itzhak Perlman.

Anantawan has performed at the White House, the United Nations, and two Olympic opening ceremonies.  He’s also a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. At Berklee, he runs the Music Inclusion Ensemble. Made up of students with disabilities, the ensemble works to ensure that all students have the accommodations they need to play their instruments.

“My duty and job is to use this platform in some way to show folks what a person with a visible disability can do,” Anantawan told Good Morning America. “And it’s always an honor to do that.”