Samuel Neo, a recent graduate from the LASALLE, is one of the latest artists pushing the boundaries of Singapore’s music scene. A classically trained pianist, he has received numerous awards, including the Star Award at the 3rd Overseas Performers’ Festival (2019) in Taiwan and the Star Award at the Arts Nova Festival (2019), performing at both Gala Concerts.
He also participated in the 7th Singapore Performers’ Festival, clinching the Gold Award, and will soon be celebrated for all his achievements during the art school’s graduation ceremony in mid-October.
Here, we invite Samuel to share a little bit about his career so far, the psyche behind performing, his special relationship with worship music and what it means to embrace all of music through genres and instruments.
Hello Samuel! Congratulations on graduating! How have you been?
Hi there! I’m fine, hope you are too! Thanks for the invitation to be interviewed.
Before we begin the interview proper, in 10 words, what is the greatest gift music has given you?
A means to express my emotions.
Have you always had an affinity for music since young?
Yes, I have. My mum exposed me to classics by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc. during my early childhood years. Growing up with Christian music, I would, in my younger days, often write out note names for many songs in the hymnal. Before my parents bought me an upright piano, I spent much time on my keyboard, playing around with different sounds.
How did you get to playing the piano as a kid and then choose to pursue a professional career in it?
My first formal music lessons at four years old began when my parents enrolled me in Yamaha’s Junior Music Course. Music has always been a passion and huge interest, only till when I was around 18, I decided I wanted to study music and pursue it as a career – a career related to something I enjoy – music!
With classical piano performance being your major, there must be something about performing that keeps you coming back again and again?
Every performance, even multiple performances of the same piece, is different. After each performance, there is always something to discover about performing or about the music. This is what keeps me coming back again and again.
I always found areas for improvement, understood the pieces better and obtained new insights, all of which I would want to incorporate into my future performances.
Pieces can also be interpreted differently, so long as it remains stylistically accurate. This makes each performance even more interesting and exciting.
After almost a decade into your music career, what do you love the most about performing?
The opportunity to share my music with others. It is through performing that others can get to enjoy and be engaged by the same music that I enjoy. Performing also allows me to express what words often are unable to – matters of the heart and mind, emotions and feelings.
Then what is the most challenging part about performing?
Battling what goes on in your mind. The musician’s greatest enemy might not be external factors but that which comes from within. Anxiety, doubts, second-guesses, and expectations of others, are among the common things that musicians battle with.
The audience often does not see these struggles during a performance because the one performing must be able to cope with them and not be overwhelmed by them.
Have you learnt how to overcome or manage it better with more experience?
As I performed more, I found ways to better manage my nerves, what mindset I should be having just before performing, and different ways to cope with both internal and external factors that affect me. For example, I learnt to calm myself down when nervousness kicks in by taking deeper breaths, focusing on doing my best, enjoying myself, and leaving my performance in God’s hands.
On top of lots of practice, how does your typical prep for a concert look like?
If you are referring to the period just before a concert, it would involve not looking at the music as it will only create doubts, being by myself, calming myself down, enjoying the performance space (including the backstage) and without fail, a prayer with God.
Do you have any special rituals you have to perform backstage before your actual performance?
No rituals, only a prayer to commit my performance into God’s hands.
You’ve also done concerts in Singapore and overseas. Does performing in these different places inspire you to approach your playing differently?
Definitely! Each performance venue is different, to begin with – the acoustics of the performance space, and the size of the space. This would greatly affect how reverberant my sound would be and if the acoustics would be to my advantage or disadvantage. The brand of the piano used and its size is also different, which mainly determines the sound of the piano.
The audience size also differs with each performance. I tend to be even more energised when there’s a bigger audience. Hence, these factors would require me to adjust and adapt my playing to each performance.
What has been your most memorable performance to date?
My BA(Hons) Music graduation recital, was held at LASALLE’s Singapore Airlines Theatre.
I also read that you compose, arrange, and play the organ, tuba and guitar, as well as have dabbled in the genres of jazz, pop and worship music. How do all these enrich your piano playing? Or have these enticed you to engage in the further study of these instruments or genres?
Being a composer and arranger requires me to have an even deeper knowledge and understanding of the music I work with. This trains me to dive deeper into a work which is something I subconsciously do when playing various works.
Playing other instruments helps me understand the effort needed to produce a note on those instruments. On a piano it’s easy – you press a key, hammers hit the strings, and a note sounds. This is much different when one needs to pluck strings with fingers or produce sound by blowing air into the instrument. This makes me rethink the physics behind note production at the piano – how notes of different tone colours can be produced when I’m not plucking strings or blowing air.
Playing and listening to worship music always directs me back to God, reminding me of the talents He has given me, which makes piano playing something truly very joyous.
Now here is a challenge for you. Or maybe it’s something easy. If you could play only one piece for the rest of your life, what piece would that be and why?
This is the hardest question you have for me! Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to this question. There is so much good music out there. Considering only classical music, I personally feel there is not one piece that can fully encapsulate everything that a pianist loves in classical music. Each piece is a gem in itself.
And to end off on a fun note, what was your most played song on Spotify last year?
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18
Click here to catch up with our September 2022 issue.
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