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Rea Beaumont, DMA, is an internationally recognized pianist and composer known for her powerful performances, finely crafted compositions, and critically acclaimed recordings. She has premiered many works in collaboration with eminent composers, including R. Murray Schafer, while her own pieces highlight important global issues. Beaumont is a faculty member at the University of Toronto and the recipient of the prestigious SOCAN Foundation/MusCan Award of Excellence for the Advancement of Research in Canadian Music.
Rea Beaumont performing her composition Shattered Ice in Vancouver, Canada.
“Of particular interest to me is the first track (A Conversation Piece), Beaumont’s own Shattered Ice, which combines compositional prowess with her concern for the environment in an ominous work depicting the fragile ecosystem of the Canadian Arctic and the dangers posed by human intrusion” - Editor, DISCoveries, The WholeNote, Toronto
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Rea Beaumont, DMA (RAY-ah BO-mont) is an internationally recognized pianist and composer, known for her powerful performances, innovative concert programs, and finely crafted works that often highlight important global social issues to initiate change. She is the recipient of the 2021 SOCAN Foundation/MusCan Award of Excellence for the Advancement of Research in Canadian Music.
Beaumont's recordings have been chosen ‘Album of the Week’ (CBC), 'Top 5' (The New Classical FM), and streamed 200,000+ times. Her CD A Shrinking Planet was one of the first albums to highlight the influence of globalization in new music. Creating a Landscape explores the ways in which composers and performers impact our environment. A Conversation Piece features her most popular piano composition “Shattered Ice,” which protests against environmental destruction in the Canadian Arctic. Awaken celebrates our post-COVID emergence and features leading violinist Christopher Verrette.
She has premiered many works in collaboration with emeninet composers such as R. Murray Schafer and Barbara Pentland. Her solo concerts include Nuit Blanche, CBC Glenn Gould Studio, Canadian Opera Company's Piano Virtuoso Series, Sonic Boom Festival, CONTACT, Pro Musica, Opera House (Italy), INTERsection, Amherst Music Festival, Banff Festival for the Arts, St. James Cathedral, and more.
Beaumont studied at the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Eastman School of Music, The Banff Centre for the Arts, The Royal Conservatory of Music, and Le Centre d'Arts Orford. She trained with leading pedagogues, including Anton Kuerti, Robert Silverman, Robert G. Rogers, and Menahem Pressler, and studied composition with Phil Nimmons, Edward Laufer, Gustav Ciamaga, and Dr. Samuel Dolin.
Her many publications include podcasts, articles, lectures, concerts, and her book Composer Barbara Pentland: The Music and the Message that was a finalist for an international award. Previously a faculty member at the University of British Columbia and Royal Conservatory of Music, Beaumont is Faculty at the University of Toronto.