UAE: Meet teen pianist breaking barriers in Western classical music

Khaleej Times

a day ago

Four years ago during a family vacation in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, Prapti Rajguru, all of nine at the time, saw a grand old piano sitting elegantly in a music recital hall of a restaurant she had just walked into with her parents.
Unable to resist the allure of the piano, she approached the staff for their permission to play a piece. When they nodded, Prapti tenderly placed her fingers on the keys and instantly fell in love with their sound. She then turned to Frederic Chopin, allowing the notes of the iconic Polish pianist's Grande Valse Brillante to fill the room.
'Everyone cheered loudly at the end,' recalled Pallab, Prapti's father. 'Even an elderly gentleman who had initially been reluctant to talk to us because he was not very comfortable with English. But after Prapti played Grande Valse Brillante, the gentleman could not stop smiling and kept talking to us in Georgian until we left. That day I understood the mystical power of music and how it can connect people regardless of the cultural and linguistic barriers.'
Prapti, now 13, has been breaking barriers for quite some time in Dubai as the only Indian pianist to have consistently achieved podium finishes in competitions.
In a domain dominated by Europeans and Chinese, this young Indian musician's flair for Western classical pieces has surprised pundits in Dubai.
'Even we are surprised by how her musical journey has evolved,' Pallab admitted. 'As a child, she was not able to concentrate properly on her studies and we were like, 'How can we solve this?' That's when we took her to a piano class. But our objective was different — she was just four years and nine months old, so we wanted to engage her in an activity which could improve her concentration powers. We never thought her world would soon revolve around a piano.'
Prapti's second-place finish recently in the Steinway Piano Competition GCC has earned her a place in the Global Finals of the 'Washington International Rachmaninoff Competition' in New York on July 12. Her American tour will also feature a solo performance in the hallowed Carnegie Hall in Manhattan.
Naturally, the teenager is now itching to board the flight to the US.
'I'm very excited about it. I think obviously performing in Carnegie Hall is a really big thing,' said Prapti who has been training under Dr. Jordan Rashkov.
'I will get to compete with people from the US and Europe. So it's a great opportunity to showcase my music and represent India and UAE on a global stage.'
Prapti hopes her dream American debut will inspire her to become the first globally recognised Indian concert pianist.
'That's the dream because I know there are not many Indian concert pianists playing Western classical pieces on the global stage. So I hope to become the inspiration for all those who want to start doing new things in India,' said Prapti.
When it comes to drawing inspiration, Prapti doesn't look beyond acclaimed Georgian-French pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, Chinese-American sensation Yuja Wang and legendary Argentinian Martha Argerich, even adopting a mental training method.
'Yes, there are videos on YouTube about it (mental training),' she said. 'I attend classes twice a week, and the rest of the days, I take the sheet music and just read it through, keep listening to the pieces of my favourite pianists and try to understand how they sound. It usually sticks in your head. Listening is the easiest way to learn.'
What Prapti has learned by listening to classics has started to yield results as well-known Italian pianist Antonio Di Cristofano has invited her to perform at the 2025 Scriabin Concert Series in Grosseto, Italy, following her splendid performance in the Steinway Piano Competition GCC.
'I think it's a matter of great pride to be invited by Antonio Di Cristofano,' said Pallab. 'As Indian parents, this is a completely new field for me and my wife and we have tried to give Prapti every support we can. But there is a big gap between her and those young pianists from Europe where they get to train full-time at musical institutes. And here Prapti has to juggle her studies and piano classes. But Antonio Di Cristofano's special invitation has proved that Prapti is doing the right things despite the challenges she faces.'
Her exploits have now also kept her grandparents on the edge of their seats.
'We are a very traditional Indian family, so it's quite incredible when her grandparents call to check how she did after the end of a concert. They may not have seen a piano, but they are incredibly proud of her,' said Sonalisa Kar, Prapti's mother.
'Now obviously it's a very emotional moment for the entire family that Prapti is going to perform at Carnegie Hall.'