A free piano recital by Amaryllis Glass will precede the film screening Tuesday, August 18 at the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs, They Came to Play, an award-winning, uplifting feature-length documentary chronicling the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs. The film is at 8 p.m. and the recital begins at 7:30 p.m.

Amateur pianists from all over the world, ranging from self-taught to classically-trained, aged 35 to almost 80, convene in Fort Worth, Tex., for a week of competition, music and camaraderie. Entertaining and above all inspiring, the film provides an intimate look into the lives of these colorful, multifaceted competitors as they strive to balance the demands of work and family with their love of music. Years of dedicated preparation culminate in competition performances before a professional jury and discerning audience during three nerve-wracking elimination rounds.

All of the film’s heroes have made their careers outside of music, in fields ranging from medicine to business, and professional tennis to education. For competitors who have faced such extraordinary challenges as drug addiction, AIDS or political asylum, the competition is also a triumph over adversity. For all, it represents an overwhelming desire to express a deeper side of themselves, musically and otherwise.

Meanwhile, Ms. Glass, who went to Juilliard, plays classically, and who stopped playing for 10 years to raise a family, will set the stage with her recital before the 90-minute documentary.