Ayaan Deshpande THE LITTLE MAESTRO

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).

- Verus Ferreira

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.