BIOGRAPHY

Leslie Lemke
Leslie was born in 1952 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the U.S. Because of his premature birth,
Leslie dismally had to have his eyes surgically removed after birth. Leslie was not expected to
live more than a few months and he was given up for adoption to May Lemke-nurse-
governess. His disabilities are more to him than meets the eye, but despite all nurse made up
her mind that Leslie would live, he finally did. When Leslie was 16 he played Tchaikovsky's
Piano Concerto no.1 after hearing it once on TV the previous afternoon. It was hard to
swallow for Leslie's parents who woke up in the middle of the night and saw him playing
such a musical piece. It was especially shocking because the boy even had problems with
hand spasticity. He also hadn't had any piano lessons before and had little contact with
classical music.

Disability:
Leslie Lemke has unfortunately a lot of disabilities and imperfections.
First, he has been blind because of his early surgery. He also suffers from cerebral palsy.
Furthermore, he is underdeveloped. Leslie has spasticity in his hands which makes it difficult
to even hold eating utensils.

Challenges on his way:

From birth, he experienced many unpleasantries.
In his first years of life, he could not eat on his own. He was fed by May which was putting
cereal on his tongue and helping with swallowing. It took a year for him to learn to chew.
Leslie was 12 when he managed to stand for the first time and at the age of 15 he learned how
to walk.
He had a life full of hardships although he became a prosperous pianist.

Achievements in their field:

Leslie Lemke is a very talented pianist.
He can play back a musical piece of any length flawlessly after hearing it once. As time went
on he became more verbal and his creativity was constantly thriving. He played composed
songs and sang with a baritone voice(strong voice). By 1980 he was regularly giving concerts
in Wisconsin. Then he toured in U.S., Scandinavia and Japan and gave several free concerts
on occasion. He became a well-known pianist and he still gives concerts. Eventually, he
overcame his underdevelopment and now he is vibrant, vigorous and special forever.
Social position:
Leslie was invited several times to television shows after gaining fame. Besides that, Leslie is
not an especially active person.
He is still giving concerts in Wisconsin.