Enchanting Tunes: Street Piano Festival Strikes a Chord in Nagaland

KOHIMA: The Street Piano Festival brought lovely music to the Old NST Parking area in Kohima, where various artists showed off their talents. The special event was part of the Kohima Street Carnival, which was organized by the Kohima Smart City in partnership with the BRILLANTE! Nagaland Piano Festival on September 29. Attendees were treated to live piano performances from performers of all ages.

All of these helped the festival by enhancing its creativity. In the first phase, a piano was decorated with paintings by artists Allison Solo, Razu Rocus, Cynthia Kolakhe, and Allison Solo. Logistics were managed by Ologoc and the design was created by the creative team, who were guided by Niwe Mero.

The Founder and Director of Brillante, Khyochano TCK spoke to *The Morung Express* about the looks of the venue, noting that it was a showstopper with piano keys painted across the entire parking lot, a hand-painted street piano, among other art installations that dominated the venue with the prominent display of the Brillante logo. She said the whole event started at noon; the crowd remained engaged, and the last note was sounded by a young boy Jabez at 5 PM.

She said Street Piano Day was to raise the community's spirits, offering comfort, hope, and beauty through music, and it did just that.

The Street Piano Festival previewed the third edition of BRILLANTE!, held online from November 19 to 21, and supported by TaFMA and the Nagaland Piano Teachers Association. According to Khyochano, the idea is to use the potential power of music for hope, goodwill, and healing for the community as it happens on the streets of Kohima during this event.

Collaboration with Kohima Smart City allowed the organizers to have a remarkable event to further elevate the cultural scene of Nagaland. People would be treated to great piano music, songs, string quartets, and dance competitions at the heart of the city. BRILLANTE! is a get-together of local, national, and international pianists and musicians who carry on several music genres by holding performances, teaching competitions, and interactive sessions. She commented, "The event commemorating the piano is set going; all its histories, as well as gradual changes, evolve by promoting new talents towards development through the learning of applying the piano." Further over there, she revealed in the land of Nagaland, piano studies become remarkably advanced, thus elevating more qualified pianists entering career jobs.

This strong support coming forward and upholding the musical performance for the piano itself has allowed a perfect spot location- Nagaland. The festival was created by pianist and educator Khyochano to become a nucleus of piano lovers who bring together everybody, giving young pianists inspiration to join the creative team of future pianists. This performance and competition-based educational activity unite elements of all of these styles in an exuberant celebration of the piano!

In reviewing the history of the piano in Nagaland, she acknowledged the input from American missionaries in spreading this instrument to Nagaland while paying tributes to some earlier Naga pianists including the late Khrieü Sekhose for having written his scores for music by hand because none were available then. Such a festival allows local piano students to get very high-level performances through master classes and workshops by other participants. The first edition included some of the most renowned musicians, including Russian pianist Tatiana Dichenko and Nagaland's concert artist Nise Meruno, who also judged the state-wide Piano Competition in which 85 pianists took part.

This event became one of the most important meetings for classical music enthusiasts and helped the Nagaland Piano Teachers Association, which aims to maintain the quality of piano education. The second edition began with a grand performance of the 100-Pianos Overture to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," by 102 pianists of all ages. The festival also invited notable attendees and showcased the performances of students from KM Conservatory of Music, Chennai. It has gone further to become the international edition, marking Nagaland as the "Piano Capital" of India. High-quality video performances by international pianists from Germany like Marouan Benabdallah and from the US like Monika Herzig will be a part of the online festival.

Along with the street piano event on-site, an introductory video on the host city, virtual workshops, and master classes promise to make the event creative, innovative, and excellent.

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