About this Artist

Samantha is a seventeen-year-old cellist and composer. She studies cello with Benjamin Lash at Colburn’s Community School and is a member of the Honors program in the Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute, where she and her group have gone on to win several awards, including a performance in the McAllister Honors Recital at Zipper Hall. Samantha began studying cello at age ten with Callie Galvez after first hearing the instrument in a film score. She has placed in solo and chamber categories of competitions including VOCE and SYMF and has participated in masterclasses with Clive Greensmith and the Sphinx Virtuosi. Samantha is passionate about community music and has spent time mentoring beginner cellists and organizing community concerts with volunteer groups such as Music Student’s Service League. She also enjoys scoring choreography and film created by her colleagues and is a 2023/24 Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellow.