  {"id":33580,"date":"2026-01-29T10:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T15:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/?p=33580"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:40:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:40:47","slug":"award-winning-alumna-challenges-systemic-barriers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/2026\/01\/award-winning-alumna-challenges-systemic-barriers\/","title":{"rendered":"Award-winning alumna challenges systemic barriers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"757\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/DesaraeDee-757x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Desara\u00e9 Dee\" class=\"wp-image-33583\" style=\"width:344px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/DesaraeDee-757x1024.jpg 757w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/DesaraeDee-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/DesaraeDee-1135x1536.jpg 1135w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/DesaraeDee-1513x2048.jpg 1513w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/DesaraeDee-scaled.jpg 1891w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 757px) 100vw, 757px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Desara\u00e9 Dee (BFA \u201912) is a Canadian fusion artist, pianist, composer, producer, and educator whose work centres on instrumental and genre-blending music that explores emotion, spirituality, and storytelling. Like many alumni, Desara\u00e9\u2019s career path was not a straightforward one, and she credits 快播视频 as a key influence in becoming the successful, award-winning instrumentalist she is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYork felt expansive. It was full of people coming from different backgrounds and perspectives,\u201d says Desara\u00e9. \u201cI was constantly learning, not just in the classroom, but through conversations, performances, and community. It was a time of growth where I was figuring out who I was as both a musician and a person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Desara\u00e9 was always drawn to the world of music. During her high school years, she spent countless hours in the music room while others gathered to listen to her. It was when she attended Professor&nbsp;Karen Burke\u2019s class at York that she opened the door to the world of gospel music at an academic level, and found a space of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When reflecting on her journey, Desara\u00e9 notes that she was often the only Black girl in ensembles, and music became both her refuge and voice. One of the most important lessons she learned at York was to trust her own voice. Being surrounded by so many different approaches to art taught her that there isn\u2019t just one \u201cright\u201d way to be an artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYork encouraged exploration and that helped me understand that my individuality wasn\u2019t something to minimize, it was something to lean into, and to understand music not just as performance, but as culture and communication. Those skills became essential later when I began navigating the industry on my own and building systems outside traditional pathways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, Desara\u00e9 created #4ChordWorship, a worship series that blends gospel, jazz and fusion harmonies in a 4-chord progression format. The series went viral on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, amassing over 4.5 million views worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSince 2023, I have been touring with a jazz and hip-hop collective called Super Duty Tough Work. I received the&nbsp;SiriusXM Black Canadian Music Award&nbsp;in 2022 from the&nbsp;SOCAN Foundation, became a&nbsp;GRAMMY&nbsp;Recording Academy voting member in 2024 and in&nbsp;2025&nbsp;I became a&nbsp;GRAMMY-considered artist&nbsp;with my 10-year anniversary debut instrumental fusion album,&nbsp;<em>Adventure: The Album,<\/em>&nbsp;marking a major milestone in my journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/Desarae-Dee_The-Sonic-Midwife_EPK_2025-2-2-1024x788.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-33582\" style=\"width:395px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/Desarae-Dee_The-Sonic-Midwife_EPK_2025-2-2-1024x788.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/Desarae-Dee_The-Sonic-Midwife_EPK_2025-2-2-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/Desarae-Dee_The-Sonic-Midwife_EPK_2025-2-2-1536x1181.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/01\/Desarae-Dee_The-Sonic-Midwife_EPK_2025-2-2.jpg 1546w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Desara\u00e9 currently serves as a\u00a0music director and music accompanist for the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Gospel Choir and is an occasional teacher\u00a0with the\u00a0Toronto District School Board. She also acts as a\u00a0mentor\u00a0with\u00a0Women in Music Canada\u00a0and\u00a0the Marigold Music Program,\u00a0as well as\u00a0a\u00a0GRAMMY U mentor\u00a0for the 2025-2026 year, where she cultivates the careers of rising music industry professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Desara\u00e9\u2019s music lives outside mainstream categories, making traditional industry access challenging and compelling her to build her own lane through digital platforms and direct audience engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe most challenging part has been navigating systems that weren\u2019t designed with artists like me in mind. But those challenges have become one of my greatest strengths\u201d, she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As she continues building her career, Desara\u00e9\u2019s goal is not just personal success but systemic change, creating pathways and infrastructure for future artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOwning the responsibility that comes with being a changemaker is meaningful because it reflects both where I\u2019ve been and where I\u2019m going. Trust your voice, be consistent and don\u2019t rush your process,\u201d says Desara\u00e9. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to fit into someone else\u2019s definition of success. Stay curious and create your own opportunities if the door doesn\u2019t open right away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Desara\u00e9 Dee (BFA \u201912) is a Canadian fusion artist, pianist, composer, producer, and educator whose work centres on instrumental and genre-blending music that explores emotion, spirituality, and storytelling. Like many alumni, Desara\u00e9\u2019s career path was not a straightforward one, and she credits 快播视频 as a key influence in becoming the successful, award-winning instrumentalist she [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2407,"featured_media":33582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[286,124],"tags":[92,119,98],"class_list":["post-33580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-profiles","category-black-history-month","tag-alumni-spotlight","tag-black-history-month","tag-york-u-alumni"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Award-winning alumna challenges systemic barriers - Division of Advancement - Alumni and Friends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/alumniandfriends\/2026\/01\/award-winning-alumna-challenges-systemic-barriers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Award-winning alumna challenges systemic barriers - Division of Advancement - Alumni and Friends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Desara\u00e9 Dee (BFA \u201912) is a Canadian fusion artist, pianist, composer, producer, and educator whose work centres on instrumental and genre-blending music that explores emotion, spirituality, and storytelling. 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