Dequan Smith: Music in his Soul

Office jobs are not for everyone… and they don’t have to be.

Students follow different paths, leading them to careers in everything from archaeology and sports medicine to theatre and music. For Dequan Smith, the latter has held great appeal ever since he was a young boy, and now, he is taking his passion of playing the cello to the next level, studying at the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland.

For the Cayman Arts Festival, which has nurtured his talent from the beginning, it is positive proof that despite the small size of these islands, there are the resources available for musically-gifted children to realise their dream of playing or teaching music for a living.

Executive director of CAF, Marius Gaina, has been instrumental in assisting students with scholarships and honing their performance skills with monthly recitals at various venues around the island, including St. George’s Anglican Church and the grounds of the National Gallery. Dequan is one such protégé who has accomplished remarkable things, thanks to the support of his teachers and family, and his unswerving commitment to his studies.

“Dequan is a very hardworking student and I’ve known him since we started our afterschool programmes,” Gaina said. “He was always dedicated and a shining example to the other kids.”

Although Dequan originally began his musical journey learning the piano, trumpet and other brass instruments, it was love at first sight when he finally turned his hand to the cello at the age of 13.

Since then, he has attended summer camp in New York at the Luzerne Music Centre (through the grant of a scholarship from CAF); played with world-renowned cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason; won Butterfield Young Musician of the Year; performed for Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Corwall, when they visited Cayman; been accepted to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; and was announced as a finalist in the Young Musician of the Caribbean Award competition, being held in the Dominican Republic on 26 March.

Dequan has never forgotten to thank those who have helped him in his quest to become an international professional musician and teacher. He is very grateful to his teachers Angharad Parkes, Richard May, Jameson Platte and Stephen Czarkowski, and, of course, CAF.

“I wouldn’t be a cellist if not for Cayman Arts Festival,” Dequan said. “They have provided scholarships, support and instruments to use – all I had to do was practise.”

Gaina hopes that others will take a leaf out of Dequan’s book, and see that a career in music is an attainable goal.

“He proved that the dream is possible – it’s doable – and now all the other children will see that one of their own can reach that level,” said Gaina. “This proves that our programmes are working, and we consider Dequan to be a Cayman Arts Festival ambassador in the UK.”

Dequan has inspirational words for those who may follow in his footsteps.

“There are so many ways to get to what you want to achieve,” he said. “The most exciting part for me is discovering how I will get there.”