World Piano Day 2024: Why Mumbai pianists love playing in public spaces like hotels and malls

Every Sunday afternoon, Bonita Deniz sits at the piano in Taj Land's End lobby from 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm in Bandra to play her heart out as she interacts with the crowd by smiling at them. She shares, "Very often, the piano is perceived as an instrument for classical pieces but performing at hotels and other venues for local audiences has made the piano an instrument for pop pieces." Even though she plays there for just one day, it is worth her while because of the joy that her music brings to the faces of children, adults, and the elderly too. While the Mumbaikar juggles between being a piano teacher in various avenues in Mumbai, this is the cherry on the cake for Deniz, who comes from a family of musicians in Mumbai and Goa.

Every year, World Piano Day is observed on March 29 around the globe to celebrate the instrument and those who play it. It is celebrated on the 88th day of the year to denote the 88 keys on the instrument. Over the years, Mumbai has boasted of many talented pianists and while people look in awe at the ones who perform on stage, many others perform in public places like hotels and malls and also play for a live audience but one that is interactive and is completely mesmerized with music as they not only play classical pieces but also pop songs that can be sung, danced and grooved to without a care in the world. "The pop pieces are opening doors to people who are not exposed to pianos, and it is a positive thing. It is fun when people come and ask you and you play by ear," adds 30-year-old Deniz, who started by playing the keyboard more than 20 years ago.

Falling in love with the piano
After being introduced to the musical instrument at the age of six, Deniz practiced and perfected her craft by playing at every chance she could get including the church choir. It is where many from the Catholic community are first introduced to the art of playing instruments and singing or simply getting better at it, as they regularly sing and play the hymns. Beyond that, it is their interest that paves the way to showcase their love for the instrument. Apart from the church choir, the Mumbaikar from Malad took it a step further and professionally joined Mumbai's famed Newman choir, and even took up roles as a music director and teacher in various institutions in the city.

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However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought about a change. She explains, "I decided to freelance a bit because the pandemic had affected my mental health. I took the time to study for my master's in music. So, while I was teaching privately, I wanted to start gigging, which I used to do in college, but it was difficult to get gigs that would allow you to sing and play. I had to get to know new people in the market." Deniz took it upon herself to get back into the scene and landed a gig after going through the grind of a freelance musician trying to play at reputed city hotels, as she notes it becomes easier with the help of an agency. "The first gig I got was a cover gig to replace somebody who said they couldn't be there," says the city-based pianist, continuing, "I took the opportunity. Then two months later, I started by getting one day to myself at Taj Land's End. Earlier, I used to do Tuesdays and Sundays but now I only play on Sundays." Along the way, she has had the likes of West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle come up to request her to play ‘Blinding Lights' by the Weeknd, and even celebrity nutritionist Luke Coutinho who interacted with her after a performance.

Fulfilling her wish to play live in 2021, Deniz has gone back to teaching children full-time, as she gets the opportunity to enjoy the best of both worlds. Since she is a freelance pianist, she has also played at the Taj Mahal Palace and Jolie's, a private club in Worli. In all this time that she has performed in public places, the Mumbaikar says she has seen people react in different ways to her music. "Laymen are coming and dancing with their babies, little children coming and wanting to play, and then other children coming to me saying they want to learn how to play," she shares.

Playing for the people
Like Deniz, even 20-year-old Alstan Remedios has had interesting experiences as not only guests who have reacted to his music but also in-house staff, who have paused from their daily routine and found solace in his mesmerizing tunes. "I was once playing in ITC Grand Central in Parel. So, while we were setting up for the stage, I was busy jamming with my friend Mark, who was on the guitar, with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, I saw about 10 of them (the staff) watching me play at the reception desk and enjoying it."

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Having the ability to hold the attention of the audience, every once in a while, Remedios takes the opportunity to slip in a tune of his own and add a twist to a popular song only because he loves playing for an interactive audience. "If I see a parent with a child, and a Christmas Carol is going on, I try to add Jingle Bells or Mario theme to make it quirky. Many people come up and give suggestions too. During the Christmas season, people tell me to play a lot of Mariah Carey songs from her Christmas album and that is the fun part because you get to engage with the audience. If I don't know the song, then the choir plays, and I follow," he adds.

Interestingly, playing the piano has been a learning experience for Remedios, who was first introduced to the instrument as a child. While his dad used to play tunes on the guitar, he tried playing the instrument but never took to it. Instead, the keys of the keyboard lying around in his house attracted him more. "By ear, I could figure out tunes, and those were usually hymns and just by memory I could relate to that. After taking a few trinity exams, I started looking for opportunities and used to play in the church and continue to do so."

It did not take long for his conductor Sonal Pinto to encourage him to join the Stop Gaps, and then he also played at the NCPA. Born in the internet age, the Mumbaikar soon started putting his music out into the world and was scouted because of his talent. "I was scouted through my YouTube channel, Alstan Remedios Music, by a conductor from Borivali named Alan Rodrigues, who asked me to join his choir. As he performs during the Christmas season with his choir at these hotels, I have got the opportunity to perform with him." Since 2021, Remedios also played at hotels in Mumbai like JW Marriott Mumbai, apart from ITC Grand Central, while also working on music for films.

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Understandably, playing in a public place has taught him a lot already, and he is humble to admit it even as he has achieved so much in the last four years since he has been professionally playing the piano. "You cannot brag about your music in a public place. You have to suit the audience because they come there to get the vibe, enjoy and have a good time. My favourite tunes to play are jazz, so I like to ‘jazzify' Christmas songs or other songs. Improvising on the spot keeps the audience's foot tapping too," shares Remedios. It is a stark difference from the stage, says the Mumbaikar, which is where most people see a person playing the piano. "When you go to performance spaces and perform, it becomes very musically professional, technical and mechanical but in places like these, if you develop the art, you know how to talk to the audience through your music," shares pianist, who hopes to play in Oberoi and Palladium malls in the future.

Challenges of playing in a public place
Even as Remedios wants to play in the malls, Shanice Ferreira dreams of playing at Bandra Bandstand one day. Even though it isn't the ideal location for the piano, the sunset and being by the water make it perfect. Apart from corporate shows, the 31-year-old has been playing at a reputed city-based hotel for four years now and loves every moment of it because of the different kinds of reactions that she gets from the audience.

She observes, "People are fascinated by the piano. Nobody thinks that I am playing live because you have pianos that play automatically. People will come to see if I am playing live. It is because you see people playing on stage, but not in a public place as they usually think it is lobby music." Over the years, she has noticed that a lot more people have started liking and gravitating towards instrumental music than before.

Just like Remedios and Deniz, she gets requests to play different songs and sees how people groove to the music and dance in the lobby area and some children even do ballet. Some people even go a step further and take the opportunity to compliment her while visiting musicians give their critiques. She adds, "The more memorable ones are when couples dance and have their romantic gestures; people singing to ballads. Once, I played an Ed Sheeran song and there was a young Indian couple nearby, and soon after I finished, the boyfriend came up to me and said, ‘Thank you for playing that song. My girlfriend was in such a bad mood. You just cheered her up.' When babies come, I play some nursery rhymes and then they sing with their kids, and it becomes a sing-along session.

She has seen people like ‘Golden Hour' by JVKE, and music from ‘Interstellar' (2014), which are her favourites. It has made her realise how important it is for pianists to know more music that is not just for adults but also for kids or the older folk as you have to not only play the classics but also some famous pop songs to engage everybody.

While it may seem like an enjoyable experience to play in a public place, Ferreira also highlights the other side of it because all kinds of people come to the hotel. While you are alone on the stage and facing the audience who are quiet when you play, she says, "People are constantly walking around you in the lobby. You will have some kids suddenly touch your piano, people will come and take videos and put their phone in your face, and even come close to you and keep their hand on your shoulder to click a selfie. When you are in a public space, you have to keep your guard up and tell people to stand a little away."

For the city pianist who started learning the instrument when she was seven years old, and played at college events and the church, playing for people in the hotel has been a different kind of experience. Especially after she started performing in public by busking in the by-lanes of Vasai. She shares, "I had my choir, and we used to go busking in Vasai during Christmas, and that is when I got more into the performance side of playing the piano."

Interestingly, Ferreira sheds light on an important aspect of performing in a public space. While malls and hotels are still within the purview of the hotel property, busking is a tempting prospect that has been popular abroad but hasn't taken off much in India as musicians would like. "Busking has picked up in India, but the only fear is the cops catching you because the challenge is getting permissions. There are so many talented musicians in Mumbai and India who can get on the street and perform in a safe space and opportunities to stand there and keep their box there and put a donation."

The Mumbaikar reminds us how it isn't something bad but just allowing them to put their music out there. "In Vasai, since there are a lot of churches and groups, they go around playing their music with the entire setup. I think we need to start this more everywhere," she concludes.