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Young pianist selects Estevan for final test prior to grueling international competition

Samuel Deason calls Saskatchewan home, even though he’s currently engaged in some serious piano studies at the John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute en route to a master’s degree in piano performance.
Samuel Deason, will be bringing the strength of Rachmaninoff’s compositions to the stage in Estevan
Samuel Deason, will be bringing the strength of Rachmaninoff’s compositions to the stage in Estevan on Jan. 29 as part of his four-city mini-tour in Saskatchewan.

Samuel Deason calls Saskatchewan home, even though he’s currently engaged in some serious piano studies at the John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute en route to a master’s degree in piano performance. 

The Saskatoon-born pianist is currently preparing for one of the most demanding piano challenges, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which takes place in Forth Worth, Texas beginning on Feb. 17. 

Deason will be one of 100 piano performers who will participate, with the hope of making it into the top 30 list for a second round. 

“I applied for the competition, and then didn’t give it much thought until I found out I was chosen. It’s one of the biggest competitions we have in the world, so I want to give this my best shot,” Deason said. 

So he has selected his repertoire, and it is challenging, and the first half of the concert in Estevan on Jan. 29 at 7pm at St. Paul’s United Church will feature about 40 minutes of his prepared work, which he said is exciting and also mentally and yes, physically exhausting since it requires attention to musical details and intensity. That comes with Rachmaninoff’s work, like his Opus 39, he said. The concert will feature other composers like Grieg, Schumann and Bach. 

“I find this music very magnetic and I hope the audience will too,” he said. 

Deason is not performing under the auspices of any supporting body such as the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Council’s Stars for Saskatchewan. He has made his own appearance arrangements and has set up the Saskatchewan schedule to help him prepare for the Van Cliburn test. 

With that in mind, St. Paul’s United Church has been booked for the evening, the prices at the door will be modest and Deason said there is a discounted $5 fee for any local young piano students who care to take in the concert. 

“I owe that to them. I’ve been a student myself, well, I still am since I hope to go on and get my doctorate degree, but it would be nice to see a few young piano students. It’s so much better playing in front of people like that.” 

Weyburn, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert are the other cities Deason will perform in during the tour which will bring him back home. 

“I’ve been to Estevan before, but never played there. I’m just a Saskatchewan kid, who loves music, played football at Aden Bowman High School, and I miss it a lot because Saskatchewan is a place that gives someone the ability to play. OK, I don’t miss the real cold weather, that’s good, but around Christmas, I really got depressed when I couldn’t get back there,” he said with a laugh. “So I’m doing it now.” 

“I hope by the end of the performance, I’ll be exhausted and I’ll be even better rehearsed for the Fort Worth competition. I like to take risks sometimes when I play and it’s just great when it works. I won’t play it safe so I can only hope the audience will appreciate it because it will come with a little human spirit behind it. In fact the keyboard risk taking takes me back a bit to those old high school football days when you knew what to do, but weren’t sure of outcomes.” 

Deason entered two global competitions last year, taking a second place award in England and third place in a competition in New Zealand. It was something he had never done before, so was pleased with the results. 

“Now I have other plans, like playing 100 concerts in Canada in 100 different cities and towns because I want to see all corners of the country, so I could do it that way,” he added. 

“Again, I would sure like to see some piano students in the audience. The price is right and I know I took advantage of special prices when I was a young piano student. I mean a family with three kids, can hardly afford to pay regular admission, that’s why I have that $5 admission for them. The more the better. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the concert,” he said with a laugh, noting again how the mini-tour is being organized on a bare bones budget and plan. The music, he promises though, will be anything but a bare bones production.