Accomplished pianist Samuel Deason and Rhea Kim, both of Saskatoon, have taken a strong stance on the subject of cultural appropriation. The duo is sharing their musical piano accomplishments with the province through a series of nine concerts which included a scheduled stop in Preeceville on August 1.
The theme of the recitals was “Culturally Appropriated Piano Classics.” It featured complicated pieces from famous piano music from around the world to highlight how music is inspired by different cultures.
The program featured solo and duet performances inspired by the Arabian, Chinese, First Nations, African American, Spanish and Italian cultures as well as modern selections.
The other venues for the concerts include Tisdale, Humboldt, Melfort, Yorkton, Shaunavon and North Battleford and the tour will conclude in Nipawin.
"It was a wonderful experience being in Preeceville for the very first time," said Deason. "The people were very welcoming and receptive at the concert, and asked some intelligent and meaningful questions after the performance.
“In doing these concerts, myself and Rhea aimed to start a conversation about cultural appropriation, shedding an alternative light on what has so often been portrayed as something negative in the media,” he said. “Through the performances of these compositions, we were able to share with the audience the context in which these pieces have been appropriated from other cultures.”
South Korea pianist Younkyung Rhea Kim demonstrated great promise as a musician after winning the special prize at the Dae-gu Piano Competition in 1995. She was invited to perform at several venues including Northern Dae-gu Concert Hall, Dae-gu Cultural Art Center, Gu-mi Concert Hall, KNUA Hall, and YoungSan Art Hall.
Kim won a gold medal from Kyung San Piano Competition, second prize at the Korea Music Associate Competition, and first prize in The Music Association of Korea Piano Competition. After she moved to the U.S. in 2006, Kim has performed solo concerts at venues like Finney Chapel Hall, Warner Concert Hall, Kulas Hall, Ford Hall, Stocker Hall and Auer Hall.
She has also performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Oberlin Community Orchestra. She performed at other international venues such as the Sala Dei Notari and Basilica di San Pietro in Italy, the Colegiata de San Juan Bautista in Spain, Convocation Hall at the University of Saskatchewan and at the FBC Bloomfield Friday Concert Series in Indiana where she served as the artistic director.
She was invited to participate in the Busan Music Festival, Perugia Music Fest, The Banff Centre Piano Masterclasses, and the Gijón International Piano Festival to expand her musicianship, learning from world class musicians including Hae-Sun Baik, Robert Mcdonald, Julian Martin, Dominique Weber, Olivier Gardon, Michael Lewin, Graham Scott, Alexander Korsantia, and Mikhail Petukov.
Kim was invited to share her musicality with young pianists at places like Avon School of Music, Ebenezer Music School, and Young Pianist Program at Indiana University. Kim graduated from Indiana University in 2013 and previously attended the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Kim is currently pursuing a doctor of music degree in piano performance and literature at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Canadian pianist, Samuel Deason has distinguished himself as a fearless musician having made his concerto debut performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 under Peter Oundjian as the first concerto performance of Koerner Hall’s inaugural season in Toronto, said information from the concert.
Recent orchestral engagements include a performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 with the Fort Worth Symphony orchestra under Lio Kuokman, and concertos by Liszt, Busoni, Gershwin, Khachaturian and Shostakovich with orchestras across North America and Europe.
In 2016, Samuel was named second prize winner of the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, performing with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and third prize winner of the Kerikeri International Piano Competition in New Zealand.
Recital performance highlights include Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations for the Master Piano Recital Series in Ottawa, a recital including his own composition Rosebud Variations for the Rosebud Chamber Music Festival, and Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet with the Amati Quartet.
Deason Samuel has performed extensively across Canada, touring under the auspices of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) in 2016. He has performed twice for the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, broadcast live on WFMT 98.7FM, and recently made a return to Hastings for the International Prizewinners Concert Series, performing Rachmaninoff’s Nine Etudes-Tableaux Op.39. Born in 1988 in Saskatoon, Deason has studied with Marc Durand at the Glenn Gould School, Menahem Pressler at Indiana University and Boris Slutsky at the Peabody Conservatory on full scholarship.
Deason will begin his doctorate of musical arts degree at Northwestern University this fall on a full scholarship. In his spare time, Deason says he enjoys foraging for mushrooms, following the NFL, mathematics, and reading.
