When Saskatchewan piano-folk-pop musician, Je� ery Straker, was 29, he visited his great aunt in a care home in Toronto, and experienced a moment that changed the course of his life. His aunt had Alzheimer’s disease, and she didn’t recognize him or the other relatives he was with. “It hit me hard, and fl ashed through my eyes that we have a fi xed number of years on the planet,” says Straker. “I thought: ‘why don’t I do what I love.’ ” And what he loved was music.

BY COURTNEY TAIT PHOTOS CHRISTIAN HIDALGO

POP PIANIST FROM THE PRAIRIES

Straker, who started playing piano at the age of seven, quit his marketing job to devote himself full-time to music, singing and playing piano, writing songs,

and increasing his exposure in Toronto’s singer-songwriter scene. “I told myself very honestly: it will work or not, but at least you’ll know you tried,” says Straker.

Four albums and hundreds of performances later, Straker has established himself as a prominent Canadian musician, with critics and fans admiring his tightly-crafted cabaret-style tunes and mesmerizing stage shows. Called “The Elton John of the Prairies” by Breakout West/WCMA Festival Producer, Johnny Marlow, (and compared to the legendary British pop pianist by several other critics, as well) Straker is developing an international audience while continuing to build his fan base at home.

In February of this year, Straker won the prestigious Vina del Mar International Song Competition in Chile, winning over the judges with his performance of Hypnotized, a song from his 2008 album, Step Right Up. Taking place at the 20,000-seat Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, the competition is part of the annual Vina del Mar Festival, considered the most important musical event in Latin America. Along with a silver seagull trophy, Straker was awarded a $50,000 U.S. cash prize.

One of six international competitors at the festival, Straker was chosen from approximately 1,000 applicants. Though he usually performs while sitting at the piano, Straker was asked by the show’s producers to dance for the show. “At first I told them, ‘I’m not a dancer, I can’t do this,’ ” says Straker. The show’s choreographer offered to work with him, pointing out that dancing would likely increase his chances of winning.

Jeffery Straker Takes South America by Storm

When Saskatchewan piano-folk-pop musician, Je� ery Straker, was 29, he visited his great aunt

CHRISTIAN HIDALGO

POPPIANISTFROM THEPRAIRIES

“One thing I’ve learned is if something scares you, it’s often a good reason to do it,” says Straker. “The first five seconds of the performance I was terrified, but a switch flipped in my brain and I thought, I’m just going to enjoy this. The audience response was pretty incredible.”

The event, which was broadcast live on television and radio stations throughout South America, had Straker trending on Twitter and people stopping him in the street. “When we did the final performance, social media went crazy. People were coming up to me on the sidewalk and congratulating me.”

As a young boy growing up in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, Straker studied classical piano. He was exposed to a variety of music through his parents, who were amateur musicians and had a diverse collection of albums. “All the neighbours would come over to our house for these epic overnight jam sessions,” says Straker. “As I grew up, I was so eclectic in my tastes.” Throughout high school, Straker took lessons at the Conservatory at the University of Regina, and typically practiced five hours a day.

For a period following college, Straker put music to the side, realizing he didn’t want to be a classical pianist. Discovering the singer-songwriter community in Toronto gave him a new perspective on how he could express his talent. He took voice lessons and began further developing his writing and singing style. “I don’t set out to try and do anything in particular,” says Straker. “The cabaret style comes from my classical training. I like opera, symphonies and musicals, in addition to pop and rock, and that stuff seeps its way into what I do. Your output is a cumulative sum of your input.”

Balancing the business side of a musical career with his songwriting, Straker captures lyric ideas and melodies on his phone’s voice recorder, developing them when he has a block of time to devote to songwriting. “There’s beauty in being able to be removed from the idea for awhile,” says Straker. “I know exactly where my starting point is going to be.”

Straker is performing in shows across Canada until June, at which point he will begin recording his next studio album. A live recording of a 2012 show Straker did for CBC will be released this summer. Straker says he is focusing on developing his Canadian audience, and would eventually like to write songs for other artists as well.

“There is no better feeling than seeing audiences get what you’re doing musically and lyrically,” says Straker. “Music brings me huge joy. It’s a bit of an addiction — if you get a little bit of something you like, you want more.”