Samuel Deason

Canadian pianist, Samuel Deason has distinguished himself as a versatile and fearless musician having made his concerto debut in Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto under Peter Oundjian in Koerner Hall’s inaugural season. Mr. Deason is also winner of the Lyell Gustin, Gordon Wallis and Florence Bowes piano competitions. He also took prizes in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra National Piano Competition, CMC (Canadian Music Competition) and the Minnesota Orchestra’s WAMSO Concerto Competition, receiving the distinction of “best pianist”.

Recent appearances include performance in the world première of R. Murray Schafer’s Spirits of the House as part of Koerner Hall’s opening ceremony, a program of Hétu, Berg and Dutilleux at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre in Toronto, collaboration with the Annex Quartet in the Piano Quintet of Shostakovich, and recitals at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton and Toronto’s Mazzoleni Hall. He is a laureate of the Eckardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, to be held in May.

Mr. Deason has performed at music festivals in Banff, Orford and Toronto learning from the likes of Leon Fleisher, Robert McDonald, Julian Martin, John Perry, John O’Conor, André Laplante and Anton Kuerti. His teachers include Bonnie Nicholson, Dr. Kent McWilliams and Marc Durand, with whom he currently studies under at The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory.