Violin & Viola Lessons with Sam A.

Minnesota native, Sam A. is a freelance violist and string teacher in the Twin Cities area. Sam is currently studying with renowned viola teacher and performer Korey Konkol at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, where he is working towards getting his BM in Viola Performance.

Starting viola at the late age of 14, Sam has excelled as a violist winning competitions such as Schubert Club’s 2023 Bruce Carlson Scholarship Competition and Thursday Musical’s 2023 Young Artist Competition.

Playing viola has taken Sam almost everywhere in Minnesota and has recently taken him internationally to Italy. In the Summer of 2021, he was invited to attend the Pienza Music Festival hosted by University of Minnesota violin professor Sally O’Reilly. And in the summer of 2023, Sam will be attending the International Music Festival of the Adriatic hosted by Luther College.

Having grown up in a small Minnesota town and gone to one of the largest state schools in the country for his undergrad, Sam believes in the importance of individuality. Every developing musician is a unique individual with different strengths and weaknesses. As a teacher and a growing musician, Sam believes that every student deserves to be treated as such in order to best serve their needs as a musician. Despite having an already busy schedule, Sam is willing to go the extra mile in order to teach new students and help them reach their goals.

Sam first found his passion for music while playing in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony. There, he met like-minded students who loved music as much as he did, many of whom he’s still friends with today. It’s social and emotional connections like these that have inspired Sam to dedicate himself to continue playing and teaching the violin and viola.