By age 16, Leon Fleisher was performing at Carnegie Hall, but when he was in his mid-20s, he was suddenly struck by a rare neurological disease that robbed him of the use of his right hand. Devastated, he sought a cure, and while he waited for the the medical community to find him an answer, he learned to be a one-handed concert pianist.

Finally, when he was in his 60s, he found redemption in a popular cosmetic drug and he returned triumphantly to Carnegie Hall.

Now 81, he is thriving like never before, working as a conductor, instructor and finally, a two-handed pianist. Leon recently visited Rollins College as part of the Winter Park Institute and he shared his philosophy of determination and revealed what he discovered when he thought life as he knew it was over.

Click here to listen to more samples of his music and for a full list of his albums.

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