The Keys to His Music
Much like the fabled maestros of yore, Ishaan Leonard Rao is believed to have sung before he could speak. His musical proficiency is certainly evident when he plays the piano. Visitors to the Stein Auditorium at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre were treated to beautiful renditions of a Rhapsody in B minor by Johannes Brahms; a ragamala inspired by a short, melodic repetition (ostinato) from Keith Jarrett’s The Moth and The Flame solo album; and a unique number that brought together two waltzes in B Minor by Frederic Chopin and Bill Evans, created centuries apart.
The artist performing these pieces with meticulous precision on a gorgeous Steinway piano was 20-year-old Rao. Currently studying Piano Performance and Composition at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Rao is also the only Indian in a global cohort of 50 to be chosen as a Sony Music Global Scholar.
Though he hails from a family of musicians—his mother Saskia Rao-de Haas, originally from the Netherlands, is a renowned cellist and creator of the Indian cello, and his father Shubhendra Rao is a famed sitar player—Rao has chosen to carve his own path. “I fell in love with the range of expression and virtuosic capabilities of the piano. I firmly believe that the piano is the best instrument to gain an overview of how music works, due to the versatility of its range of pitch and musical colour and its identity as a percussive instrument,” says the young pianist and composer.
His most recent concert in Delhi was titled ‘Roads Untravelled’ and provided a glimpse of his unique practice influenced by European and Indian as well as contemporary and classical music in equal measure. He explains, “I sought to showcase a contemporary take on the ‘Spice Route’ by taking the listener through different musical influences I’ve had the privilege of being exposed to, ranging from Western European classical composers to Armenian folk, Turkish fusion and Indian classical music, where my roots lie.”
The set also included two of his own compositions: ‘Shringara’ set in Raga Charukesi and ‘One Three’ in Raga Jog. These were from his eponymous debut album released in September 2024, which he describes as a “semi-improvised, Indian-inspired solo piano album”. “I don’t claim to have any level of mastery over the intricacies of individual ragas, but I feel my vast exposure to music from a young age has enabled me to create my own musical sketch, akin to traditional ragamala paintings,” he says.
Another solo piano album is now in the works, as well as musical collaborations with traditional Indian musicians and a contemporary Indo-jazz group album. Play it again, and again.