Samuel Kelder
Lecturer of Music, Viola
Praised by the Boston Globe as a “committed and dynamic” performer, violist Dr. Samuel Kelder‘s interpretations of contemporary repertoire and virtuosic technique have led him to become a sought after soloist and chamber musician, performing widely across North America and Europe to work with many prominent artists and ensembles of today. Dr. Kelder believes deeply in championing the music of today, and works frequently in collaboration with living composers in a variety of genres, commissioning new works and establishing a breadth of extended techniques and repertoire for future generations. Member of Sound Icon, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Callithumpian Consort, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, and founding member of Shizuka Viola Duo, he can also be heard as guest artist performing with Ludovico Ensemble, Aurea, Juventas, Guerilla Opera, and A Far Cry.
An equally accomplished orchestral musician, Samuel is principal violist of the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, section violist of Portland Symphony, New Bedford Symphony, and the Boston Festival Orchestra, and can often be heard performing with Albany Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Boston Landmarks Orchestra. He has also toured Europe with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Penderecki Akademie Orchestra as principal violist, and has appeared as a guest artist with the Arctic Philharmonic in Norway.
Samuel studied with Karen Dreyfus at Mannes The New School for Music in New York City, and with Michelle LaCourse in his doctoral studies at Boston University, specializing in the Karen Tuttle Coordination Technique. Other notable pedagogical influences include Wayne Brooks, Laurie Smukler, Bayla Keyes, and Kyung Sun Lee. He plays a 2015 Hiroshi Iizuka viola, and enjoys teaching a burgeoning studio of varied backgrounds and ages. His summers are spent performing and coaching chamber music at the Appalachian Chamber Music Festival, Etchings Festival in New York City, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice, and Monadnock Music.
