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| Nise Meruno in the city. Picture by Biju Boro |
Carving out a niche as pianist and singer at the young age of 20 takes loads of hard work and dedication. Nise Meruno has the gift of both virtues and when the young man ran his nimble fingers over the piano keys, there was a feeling of accomplishment as the lilting musical notes percolated through the acoustics.
Pianist extraordinaire, Nise performed two shows here last week — at the KBR Auditorium of Cotton College and at the Christ Church Community Hall the following day in a concert hosted by the Guwahati Music Society.
He kept the audience captivated throughout the entire show, and it was no surprise because he has done the same to music aficionados in Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“I was born in a very musical family in Dimapur and my great grandmother played the piano in the local church. My grandmother and my mother were pianists, too. My father is a member of the church choir. When I was five years old, I started running my fingers over the keys and picked up the chords on my own. By six, I started piano lessons under well-known American musician Margaret Shishak,” he said.
Nise did his Grade-8 Pianoforte from the ABRSM, Singapore Centre and got his “performer’s certificate” from Trinity Music College, London. He went on to study at the Singapore School of Music.
When asked how he managed to gain admission to the well-established institution, he said it happened quite easily.
“While I was waiting for my Class XII results, the dean of the Singapore music school was in Dimapur for a camp. I attended the camp and they liked me.”
During his stay in Singapore, Nise got the opportunity to perform with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Chorus, the Philharmonic Chorus and the Hallelujah Oratorio Society. He travelled extensively in Malaysia and was invited to sing Handel’s Messiah with the Jakarta Festival Chorus in Indonesia in 2001.
However, Nise pointed out that life in Singapore was not easy. “Musically, it’s a very tough life because there are so many other talented musicians. There are chances of becoming just another face in the crowd. That cut-throat competition in Singapore pushed me to strive for excellence.”
After completing his studies in Singapore, Nise chose to return to Nagaland. “I preferred to be a big fish in a small pond, rather than be a small fish in a big pond! More importantly, there is a greater need for trained musicians in this country.
“In fact, I always wanted to return home and pursue a career as full-time concert artiste. I again took the risk of leaving Nagaland because I believe my music can showcase my home state and the Northeast in a beautiful way.”
“I want people to know that there is so much in store in this region than just politics and corruption. Right now, I am what I always dreamt to be. I thank God for helping me to realise my dreams so early,” he said.
Apart from pursuing his cherished dreams, Nise wants to help upcoming musicians.
“I love to give piano lessons. I help them compile their music and send their audition tapes. Some of my students have been admitted to finest colleges in the world like Trinity School of Music, London, and Canada School of Broadway Music. This gives me a sense of satisfaction.”
Unlike other musicians who tend to stick to one genre of music, Nise believes in the versatility of work. He loves the opera and fusion along with modelling. He likes opera because “it has a certain class and if you understand the language you can feel the beautiful symphony of the lyrics and the music.”
Nise also likes doing fusion. “I got a chance to record a CD for an American-born Chinese composer, Hang John, whose music is on contemporary Chinese. I am planning to do hip-hop music along with classical with my cousin who is good rap artiste.
“I am very much into fashion. I think every art form like painting, music and fashion are connected to each other. If one can distinguish between good and bad music, he will obviously have an eye on good dresses and beautiful paintings. Most recently I modelled for NIFT’s Fashionova 2004 and got offers from designers like Tarun Tahiliani and Vijay Arora.”
Nise believes that all musicians should try to compose original music and it does not matter how simple a composition may be.
Marlee M. Basumatary