While studying towards a PhD in Music at Victoria’s New Zealand School of Music (NZSM) Mr Ah Sam has explored his identity through music composition and performance.
“The foundation of my research is Samoan music, because that’s where I’m from. I’ve looked at how it relates to, and is influenced by, classical, jazz, contemporary and church music.”
Called Musika, Samoan for music, the concert begins with a video that contextualises the whole study, beginning with his studies in Samoa and moving through to the current day, followed by 11 performance scenes. Each scene explores challenges Mr Ah Sam has faced in his life. He will play percussion and the piano, sing, and direct the performance, with support from a choir, two soloists and a band of musicians.
“Not only does it engage with the different styles of music I’m exposed to, but it looks at my journey. Things like racism, love, and loss. And there’s dance—because music and dance go hand in hand in Samoa.”
The inspiration for his research came from the sense of displacement felt when visiting his birthplace.
“I noticed that when I go to Samoa people think I was born in New Zealand, or see me as a New Zealander. But when I come to New Zealand there’s no mistaking I have brown skin and am Samoan. So I started thinking about the space where you’re in the middle—you’re one or the other for a little bit.
“Since having children who are part Samoan, Dutch, Kiwi, Indonesian and Chinese, I wondered about their place in the world, because identity is important as we become more globalised. I think diversity is great to celebrate, but within that how many of our people know who they are? To live well in a diverse nation you have to know who you are first.”
Mr Ah Sam says he is incredibly grateful for the support from his NZSM supervisors Professor John Psathas and Dr Brian Diettrich.
“I have three kids, I’ve been studying part time for the last few years, and as my studies near the end I’ve realised that I couldn’t have wished for two better supervisors. They keep me on my toes, and more than that, I look forward to seeing them when I catch up with them. It just feels right. In 20 years I’ll look back and feel both proud of what I’ve done the last few years and really lucky.”
The biggest challenge during his studies has been to avoid getting “too emotional”.
“That’s who I am, and I often refer to things that mean a lot to me, rather than using academic examples and references. The whole journey of my passion for music started with my grandfather, who is my namesake. He was a musician and my first music teacher. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.
“When I was in Samoa recently I had this realisation that after all these years of trying to find my identity with my music, I had never had a choice, because my grandfather was a well-known musician in Samoa. People say to me: ‘I hope you can play the piano like your grandfather’. I can’t hide from it, and I acknowledge and celebrate it, but there’s an idea that after all these years I never had a choice about what I was going to do once I was named after him.
“The greatest thing about this journey is the people I’ve met along the way. I couldn’t have put Musika on if it wasn’t for the 30 singers, 12 dancers, 16 musicians, stage manager and lighting people who are giving their time for free to help me.”
Musika will be performed at 2.30pm Saturday 27 May at the Windsor Park Baptist Church, Auckland. It is free and open to the public.