Brillante Piano Festival brings harmonies in ebony and ivory to Bengaluru

Brillante, a multi-genre piano festival, is making its debut in Bengaluru this weekend

Brillante is a Nagaland-based piano festival which is into its fifth year and is coming to Bengaluru for the first time. The event will see musicians from 15 Indian States and 18 countries, make music over two days.

Khyochano TCK, founder and director of the Brillante Piano Festival, says the festival began in 2017 as a response to what was needed in the community at the time. “We are from the northeast part of India and a rural community, with exceptional talent in music. However, there was no infrastructure in place to direct music lovers, students or their parents, to energise, inspire and motivate the youth,” says Khyochano.

“We were drawn to the need to provide a dignifying of arts, culture and music within the State,” she says, adding that though it was initially envisioned for the local community, it has since spread to different parts of India, following the response garnered from the second and subsequent editions.

“Brillante is about awakening possibilities in the lives of people, in their dreams and goals, awakening possibilities in neighbourhoods when they see how creative engagements can bring about a change in perspective and as well as the way we live and do things.”

As altruistic as that sounds, the multi-genre, piano-centric festival focuses on “performance, pedagogy and competition.” This edition themed Magic of the Keys, highlights not only the history of this instrument, but also its relevance in the future, as the piano has adapted to change over the years.

Magic of the Keys will see performances by Bengaluru talents Aman Mahajan, Derek and the Cats, Radha Thomas and others from outside the city such as Adam Greig and Grammy winner Manoj George, as well as those from Nagaland.

Moroccan-Hungarian concert pianist Maroun Benabdellah has been associated with Brillante since 2022. “That was the online version due to the pandemic; this will be the first time I will be attending such a major piano event in India in person,” says Maroun over phone.