Ayaan Deshpande is all of ten years old and believe it or not, he has performed in 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 5^th grade student, who likes watching animal and wildlife documentaries and who also celebrates his 10^th 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^rd September 2023, Ayaan performed at the Mumbai Piano Day where he stunned audiences playing four piano pieces, namely, 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 practiced ease and confidence.  Not only that, more recently is left legendary pianist startled when he played the pianist composition of Watermelon Man.

Verus Ferreira spoke with the little maestro, 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 a little bit 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 me to play the 2nd movement of Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 with the orchestra in a concert on 14th 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 was feeling a little nervous, but my teacher Miss Aida Bisengalieva and Mr. Marat told me to just relax. It was good. When I heard the applause and looked up at the audience, I felt shy and wanted to quickly go backstage. It was a great experience.

You performed at Vienna in the very halls where iconic composers of Western Classical music like Brahms, 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, Beethoven used to live there. I performed at Ehrbar hall and Mozarthaus. 

How did your Austria tour happen and what classical music piece did you play at the event?

My teacher Miss Aida told me about the Golden Key music festival in Vienna. We sent two audition videos for piano performance and piano composition. I got selected and performed there in 4 concerts during the festival. I performed compositions by Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy and Prokofiev, and one of my own compositions.  During the festival we also visited some important places, like Mozart's birthplace - Salzburg, Beethovenhaus in Baden, Esterhazy Palace. There were participants from all over the world and I made some new friends.

So how did you start off your musical career at such a young age?

I started learning on an electronic keyboard during the lockdown 3 years ago. That time my school was shut. In the beginning I started with YouTube piano tutorials, finger exercises and then an iPad app, Synthesia. In May 2021, I joined the SOI Music Academy at NCPA. But this was still during the lockdown, so my teacher Miss Aida used to take online classes for the first few months.

How did you learn the patterns of Classical music which are so intrinsic and complex?

At first, I used to watch YouTube videos and learn the pieces. Sometimes I used to play by ear or using the Synthesia app. Later when I started learning with Miss Aida, she taught me to sight-read music sheets and to use correct fingerings and to play the different scales. She gave different types of pieces like etudes, polyphonic pieces, Sonatas, Waltzes, Nocturnes. She gave me challenging pieces to learn, but not too difficult. So slowly I started learning more complex pieces.

When did your parents realise that you could play a musical instrument?

When I began learning on a 61-key keyboard. I enjoyed searching for different classical piano pieces on YouTube and used to listen and learn for a lot of time. My parents felt that I was learning fast, so then they got a digital piano with 88 keys. Then I could play pieces like Fur Elise, Turkish March, which I could not (play) on a smaller keyboard. Soon they felt that I should learn from a proper piano teacher.

Did you attend any music classes to learn the basics of piano or has someone tutored you?

No, in the beginning I was just learning on my own. But when I was small, I used to learn Hindustani classical music from my friend’s father, for a few months with some of my friends.

Tanmay, Ayaan was born in Tokyo. Can you tell us something about your family and how did you relocate to Mumbai?

Tanmay: When Ayaan was 2 years old we moved to Mumbai. I was doing my Post Doc in Mathematics in Tokyo. I joined the TIFR School of Maths faculty in December 2015, so we moved to Mumbai. My wife is a Software engineer working for a Healthcare Company.

How do you manage to attend school?

When I began learning, I had online school for two hours every day so I used to have a lot of time for piano. After school reopened my parents decided to switch to homeschooling. 

So then you have something in common with classical music composer Mozart. He too was homeschooled and also played music at an early age. Coincidence or what?

(Laughs) I don’t know. Mozart started to play and compose when he was much younger. 

Who is your favourite classical music composer and why?

My favourite composers are Chopin and Debussy. I also like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and many others. I like Chopin’s music because it is very delicate and deep. Debussy’s music feels very magical. 

Do you also compose your own music?

Yes, I love to compose. I first composed a small piece as homework given by my teacher. I loved doing it, so when I get ideas I try to develop them into a composition. I write the music scores using Musescore software. I have composed a Sonata, Waltz, Nocturne, a piano and strings quintet and some other pieces. My parents have put all my compositions on my YouTube channel.

What do you do besides music?

I like to play football with my friends. I also like chess, reading books and mathematics. I like to travel and try different kinds of food.

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira