A talented St. Cloud concert guitarist is gaining international recognition for his project, “Unity in Diversity: Harmony of Cultures.”
Funded by a grant from United Arts of Central Florida, Sam Desmet combines music and visual art to celebrate global cultural heritage. Each month, he releases an acoustic guitar interpretation of folk songs from various countries, paired with stunning cover art from collaborating artists.
“They gave me the opportunity and support to explore deeper into the idea of uniting art forms, cultures and communities. Something I believe, is very much needed in today’s climate.” Desmet said.
The United Arts of Central Florida is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching communities by investing in arts, sciences, and history across the Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. Their values include excellence, impact, fairness, care and transparency, according to unitedartscfl.org.
“At United Arts of Central Florida, we understand that local individual artists are the heartbeat of our vibrant creative community. Sam’s project, ‘Unity in Diversity: Harmony of Cultures,’ stood out to the community volunteer grants’ panel because of its unique vision of fostering cultural understanding through the universal language of music,” Jennifer Evins, CEO/President of United Arts of Central Florida said.
Desmet started earning a reputation in the late 2000s for performing and recording a mix of works from well-established composers with lesser-known or contemporary repertoire. Desmet often branches out by collaborating with different artists and art forms such as dance, painting, architecture, animation, film, and poetry.
“Unity in Diversity: Harmony of Cultures” is designed to be a comprehensive and inclusive celebration of global music traditions. By bringing together diverse artists and leveraging digital platforms for outreach, the project aims to foster a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity and create a lasting impact on both the local and global communities,” according to samdesmet.com.
“The idea of working with different cultures and exploring collaborations is something I have always been fascinated with even when I was a kid,” Desmet said. “often driven by many people of different backgrounds whom I met during traveling and performing.”
In October, Desmet reached out to the renowned Swedish artist Dana Ingesson to use one of her paintings for his single inspired by composer Evert Taube. Desmet expressed that her abstract art, when combined with Taube’s timeless music about realizing the beauty of a specific moment, is what pushes him forward as an artist. Their collaboration as showcased through her painting “A Song For Life” beautifully illustrates how art can create connections across cultures.
“I didn’t think it was true and I still feel very happy and very humble. The idea is dizzying when I think about it, that on the other side of the globe a musician sits with his project and sees my art and chooses it for his project. Of all the fantastic artists in all of Sweden,” Ingesson stated, according to www.vastgotabladet.se.
After some experimenting with music streaming platforms a few years back, Desmet decided to explore the possibilities beyond music and started contacting and reconnecting with composers and artists of different nationalities, for example, he’s working with local photographer Jose Bezerra who grew up in Brazil. Currently, there are ten countries listed, but Desmet believes that this project has the potential to go beyond that.
In June 2025, Desmet will be performing in his native Belgium for a world premiere of a guitar concerto. This isn’t a part of his project but a result of a collaboration he’d done for his first recording fifteen years ago.
