The seventeenth performer in this on-line concert series is 2016 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition prizewinner Samuel Deason tonight, Friday July 10 at 7pm, and the programme features Chopin’s – Polonaise in E flat Minor, Op.26 No.2, and Brahms’ Rhapsody in E flat Major, Op.119 No.4 and in E flat Minor, Op.4
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Canadian pianist Samuel Deason has distinguished himself as a fearless and versatile musician, having made his concerto debut in Toronto performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 under maestro Peter Oundjian, as the first concerto performance in Koerner Hall’s inaugural season in Toronto.
Recent prizewinner in the Aram Khachaturian International Piano Competition, Samuel took first prize in the Lyell Gustin Piano Competition, the Gordon Wallis Piano Competition and the Florence Bowes Piano Competition.
Samuel also garnered awards in the TSO National Piano Competition, the Shean Piano Competition, the Wideman Piano Competition and the Minnesota Orchestra’s WAMSO Concerto Competition, where he received the distinction of “best pianist”. Samuel was a finalist in the 2013 Ferrucio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy and a prizewinner of the 2016 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition in England.
Recent performance in world premiere
Samuel’s recent engagements include performances in the world premiere of R. Murray Schafer’s ‘Spirits of the House’ as part of Koerner Hall’s opening ceremony, Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto with the Indiana University’s AdHoc Orchestra, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 with the “Mihail Jora” Philharmonic Orchestra, and recitals for the Pianoforte Festival in Kelowna, the Oakville Fazioli Concert Series, and the FBC Bloomfield Concert Series.
In the 2013/14 season he made concerto debuts with the Saskatoon and Regina symphony orchestras, recorded a CD with the University of Regina label, and performed Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations for the Master Piano Recital Series in Ottawa.
Samuel has performed at music festivals in Banff, Orford, Gijon, and Toronto, having sought the wisdom of Arie Vardi, Julian Martin, John Perry, John O’Conor, André Laplante, James Anagnoson, Ursula Oppens, and Anton Kuerti in masterclasses. He has studied with Marc Durand and Leon Fleisher at the Glenn Gould School, and Robert McDonald at the Banff Centre.
Born in 1988 in Saskatoon, he now resides in Indiana, learning under such teachers as the legendary Menahem Pressler.
Image Credits: Hastings International Piano Competition .