Sam Kelder

VIOLA

PERFORMER BIOGRAPHY

Violist Samuel Kelder is an unswerving proponent of contemporary classical playing, chamber music, orchestral projects, and music education. Kelder’s multifaceted career spans the music of the Baroque era to fresh ink of contemporary composer-performer collaborations.

Described as “dynamic and committed” by the Boston Globe, Sam performs regularly as with ensembles A Far Cry, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Guerilla Opera, Callithumpian Consort, Sound Icon, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, and various regional symphony orchestras including Rhode Island Philharmonic, Cape Cod Symphony, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, Landmarks Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and the New Bedford Symphony. Kelder joined the Boston based string trio Sound Energy in 2018, an ensemble dedicated to searching for ways to push the traditional violin-viola-cello combination to represent the bold and daring voices of 20th- & 21st-century composers. Additionally, Sam is co-founder of viola duo Shizuka with Hannah Rose Nicholas.

In addition to local projects, he has also performed as the featured artist at Third Practice Electroacoustic Festival and as soloist at New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival.

Sam holds a B.M. from the University of Houston, M.M. from Mannes the New School for Music, and graduated May 2017 from doctoral studies at Boston University as teaching assistant to Michelle LaCourse. Other major teachers and influences include Wayne Brooks, Karen Dreyfus, Kyung Sun Lee, Laurie Smukler, and Bayla Keyes.

Sam has had the great fortune to work with many prominent living composers such as Georg Friedrich Haas, Beat Furrer, Chaya Czernowin, Hans Abrahamsen, Zosha Di Castri, Eric Wubbles, Olga Neuwirth, Heinz Holliger, Matthius Pintscher, Krzysztof Penderecki, Roger Reynolds, Nico Muhly, Philippe Leroux, Michael Finnissy, Lowell Liebermann, Joan Tower, William Bolcom, Derek Bermel, and John Harbison.

Sam can be heard on Not Art Records.

Sam is an artist member of Music for Food, a musician-led initiative to fight hunger in our home communities

Georg Friedrich Haas - Phantasien (1982)

Gleb Kanasevich, clarinets; Sam Kelder, viola

J_R_S__C ARC

FELIPE PINTO D'AGUIAR

Felipe Pinto d'Aguiar - 2016 Sam Kelder: Viola + Electronics, Modlin Center for Arts

Third Practice Electroacoustic Music Festival, University of Richmond

www.pintodaguiar.net

Beethoven String Trio No. 3 G Major, Op. 9 No 1.

Boston Festival Orchestra

Alyssa Wang, violin; Thomas Barth, cello

Gabriela Diaz, violin

Lilit Hartunian, violin

Sam Kelder, viola

Rafael Popper-Kaizer, cello

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Bach Suite 3 in C Major, I. Prelude

Elliot Carter Figment IV

Teaching | Lessons

teaching philosophy

As an educator of all age groups, I strive to instill a sense of motivation for all students. Through my 20+ years of experience taking lessons from a variety of different teachers and methods, I have come to understand that the bulk of progress made is by the student’s own discovery on the instrument. My weekly lessons with a pupil provide insight: teaching the art of practicing, instructing how to break down and understand problematic technical issues, and most importantly how to bring personal ownership to a piece of music.

In my studio I place heavy emphasis on technical studies of scales, arpeggios, and etudes; while identifying and working towards the student’s musical goals. I cover a wide breadth of repertoire tailored towards the student’s level, and always with the goal of accelerating the individual learning process.

My private studio includes viola and violin students, and I am happy to address any trial lesson inquiries or questions at sam.kelder @ gmail.com