Ayaan Deshpande is nine years old, and believe it or not, he has performed at a series of concerts in prestigious venues in Vienna. At such a young age, the child prodigy has given concerts before he is even a teenager. A skilled concert pianist and composer, the curly-haired fifth-grade student, who likes watching animal and wildlife documentaries and who celebrates his tenth birthday next month end, has drawn widespread acclaim all over the world since his first public performance in November 2021 alongside the Symphony Orchestra India (SOI).

Ayaan’s talent is baffling, and his playing on the piano is nothing short of genius, not only for his teachers and mentors, but anyone who sees him swiftly shifting a melody on the ivory keys.

On 23 September 2023, Ayaan performed at Mumbai Piano Day, where he stunned audiences by playing four piano pieces — Wheatland by Oscar Peterson, Rage Over A Lost Penny by Beethoven, Nocturne In B flat Minor by Chopin and I Got Rhythm by Gershwin, all with practised ease and confidence.

VERUS FERREIRA spoke with the little maestro soon after his performance. The only child to parents Tanmay and Ashwini, Ayaan, like any child his age, was shy and needed a bit of prodding from his parents to answer our questions.

In November 2021 you performed for the very first time at the NCPA. Tell us about your debut performance.
So when I met Mr Marat (Marat Bisengaliev, music director and co-founder of the SOI) for the first time, I played for him. After that, he suggested that I play the second movement of Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 with the orchestra at a concert on 14 November, which was in just 12 days. Actually, we had already purchased tickets for this concert, so I could not believe it! I listened to that piece for the first time while going home. I liked it very much, so I was excited to learn it. When I was rehearsing with the orchestra, it felt very special. On the concert day, I felt a little nervous, but my teacher Miss Aida Bisengalieva and Mr Marat told me to relax. It was good. When I heard the applause and looked up at the audience, I felt shy and wanted to go backstage quickly. It was a great experience.

You recently performed in Vienna in the very halls where iconic composers of Western classical music like Brahms and Mahler used to perform. How was it to play in such an iconic venue?
It was very nice, I can’t express it. Vienna is very special for Western classical music; Mozart and Beethoven used to live there. I performed at Ehrbar Hall and Mozarthaus.

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If you love the soothing music of a piano, you should add Nise Meruno to your playlist. Meruno is from Dimapur, Nagaland, a small state in the North East that has brought Meruno a much-needed impetus to show the world what he is made of. Meruno has had the honour of performing for dignitaries like the President and the Prime Minister of India, and socialites like Aamir Khan and the Ambanis, and if you talk about awards, well, the list is endless. He has played all over the world and also composes for and directs choirs, and mentors musicians.

The star pianist won the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Music and currently helms an all-male choir called Zowe Madrigal. Meruno is the cultural ambassador of music for his hometown and shares his expertise on music by teaching and training musicians and artistes. He is a motivational speaker as well, who inspires young people to follow their dreams.

VERUS FERREIRA chats with Nise Meruno who tells him how it all began for him.

When did you start playing the piano?
I started playing the piano when I was six years old. The reason I chose to pursue it as a career was because I found my identity in it; I was just myself when I played the piano. And so, it was an easy career choice to make. It made me very happy.

Was music always in your family?
Yes, it was and it still is. I am the fourth generation pianist in my family. In fact, my grandmother who is 90, still plays the piano, and so, the first music genre I was exposed to as a child was classical music, and to this day, there’s always music in our home, western classical music, at least in my Granny’s house.

It was during one of our family gatherings at my grandparents’ home that I randomly sat at the piano and stared playing, and so, for my sixth birthday, my parents’ gift for me was a piano teacher Ms Nikolo Tsuzu. Then Mrs Margaret Shishak took me under her care, and as they say the rest is history.

Did you ever receive any formal training in piano?
Yes, I did. But during those days we did not have music examiners coming from international music boards like we do today and so, I privately trained under Mrs Shishak, and travelled to Shillong to give my first exam straight for Grade 7. After Std 12, I pursued my music studies further in Singapore, and during that time, I also trained in western classical singing, conducting and composition, which are all still a part of my music life and career.

You left a high-paying job as a flight steward to pursue music. Wasn’t it a risk?
Well, I’m flying higher now, isn’t it? (laughs) I wanted to be a flight steward too, at one point. But it was my “love” for my “calling” (music) that I was following; so the decision to change my career trajectory came fairly easy.

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Twelve-year-old child prodigy, Lydian Nadhaswaram, is a Chennai-based pianist to watch out for. Though his fingers are not long enough to reach the octaves, his piano-playing ability will leave you stumped, especially when you hear him play the fastest and the toughest western classical pieces.

A young Bach, Mozart or Debussy in the making, Lydian’s control and composure at the piano is mind-boggling. Some time back he was gifted a baby Grand Steinway piano by Michael and Sukey Novogratz who heard him play just once. In August 2017, he was invited for a concert in Australia where he played the tabla which he had mastered in barely 8 months. In November 2017, Lydian appeared on the Susana Giménez TV show in Argentina, viewed by millions in South America. He ended 2017 with the Horlicks Award for Music.

Too shy to speak on the phone, Lydian took the help of his father, Satish, to make conversation with VERUS FERREIRA.

Lydian, you have a musical name.
Satish: The Lydian Mode is the first mode of scale in music. When I heard that a boy was born to us, I was at my theory class learning about the Lydian Mode Scale, so the first name that came to my mind was Lydian. Nadhaswaram is an ancient South Indian instrument which is a very tough instrument among the wind instruments and in the entire world for sure. ‘Nadham’ means ‘beat or feel’ and ‘swaram’ means ‘sur’.

When did you realize that Lydian could play a musical instrument?
Satish: When Lydian was two years, two months, we were at a party when he suddenly took a xylophone stick and played it on the floor in proper rhythm which amazed everyone. I bought a kid drum set for him even before the day ended. As he progressed, I bought more instruments for him so that he could get a feel of the sound each brought out.

Lydian also plays the guitar, mrudangam and tabla. How did he master these instruments?
Satish: I started the tabla in first grade at KM Music Conservatory (A. R. Rehman Foundation). Later, he continued his Russian piano method from KM Conservatory. He learnt tabla further from an experienced master named Thulasi. Lydian has incredible tempo knowledge. So it has become an easy task for him to play the tabla in recordings along with a few senior tabla players.

How did he learn the patterns of Carnatic music and also play on a western music drum set?
Satish: It is the bols that are used in tabla and mridangam lessons that are applied to drums whenever possible, apart from western drumming style. This method is followed by so many drummers. Lydian started doing this even playing multi-times signature at one time in his drum performance. Each hand, each leg, with a different time signature.

Your daughter also plays the piano; did Lydian pick up his piano skills from her?
Satish: A piano was bought for his sister Amirthavarshini, the name is the name of a raag in Carnatic music. Amirthavarshini is a vocalist cum flautist. Lydian started playing the piano as the pieces that his sister was playing were registered in his mind. He started playing by hearing her play; there were no chords or anything.

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Lady Gaga’s lead keyboard player, Brockett Parsons, has created a circular piano with 294 keys! Known as the Piano Arc or “Brockettship” it is composed of 3 separate 88-note keyboards joined together, and one 28-note control section. The height and tilt are adjustable and the layout allows the musician to move around and more freely rock out as he/she plays.

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