Kolkata’s Quest Mall is redefining the shopping experience this April with ‘Melodies at Quest’, a series of live piano performances. Every Wednesday and Friday from 5-7pm, the mall’s ground-floor atrium will transform into a concert space where some of the city’s talented pianists will captivate shoppers.
The atrium, adorned with pristine marble flooring and crowned by the golden-etched Quest insignia, provides an elegant backdrop for these musical evenings. The grand piano, positioned under natural light, becomes the centrepiece of an atmosphere that harmoniously fuses architecture and artistry.]
Quest Mall's initiative aligns with a global trend of integrating live music into public spaces, particularly shopping centres, to enhance the visitor experience. In 2015, Ambience Mall in Gurgaon witnessed a remarkable performance by then nine-year-old Gauri Mishra, who played Bollywood and Western songs non-stop for over an hour, earning her the title of India's youngest pianist.
Similarly, in 2021, North Vancouver's Capilano Mall introduced an interactive floral piano, valued at over $100,000, allowing shoppers to enjoy live performances and even play the instrument themselves.
In December 2022, nine-year-old Rebecca Seziba captivated shoppers at Cape Town's Table Bay Mall with her impromptu rendition of My Heart Will Go On on a public piano, leading to international collaboration offers.
Perhaps one of the most ambitious integrations of live music into a shopping environment occurred in 2016 at the Mall of Berlin, where conductor Kent Nagano led a flashmob of 1,000 musicians in performing works by Verdi, Wagner, and Bizet, transforming the mall into a grand concert hall.
‘Melodies at Quest’ is not just an isolated event but part of Kolkata's broader effort to infuse cultural experiences into urban spaces. The initiative harks back to the mall’s inauguration in September 2013, when renowned French pianist Richard Clayderman performed a recital attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.