Samuel Sparrow

A North Carolina native, Samuel Sparrow began his position as Section and E-flat Clarinet with the Charlotte Symphony in 2017, also serving as Acting Principal Clarinet in the 2018–19 season. In addition to his post in the Charlotte Symphony, Sparrow has performed with the New York Philharmonic; the Charleston, North Carolina, and New World symphonies; and the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.
 
As a soloist, he has appeared with the Raleigh Symphony, Garner Sinfonia, and Triangle Youth Philharmonic. Other performance highlights include a featured appearance with Sting at the Main Assembly Hall of the United Nations and the West Coast premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s chamber opera, Second Nature.
 
In addition to performing, Sparrow is an avid proponent of music education. He currently serves on the faculties of Davidson and Queens Colleges in Charlotte, and has offered presentations at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Appalachian State and Winthrop Universities, and Hebrew Union College. He regularly provides coaching at local schools throughout Charlotte and serves as a coach for the Charlotte Symphony and North Carolina Youth Orchestra programs. His private students routinely occupy top chairs in honor bands throughout the state. Recent students of Sparrow have won the Charlotte Symphony Guild and Charlotte Pride Band Concerto Competitions, earned 3rd place at the International Clarinet Association’s High School Competition, and gone on to pursue studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts and numerous summer music festivals.
 
The recipient of the Leon Russianoff Memorial Scholarship, Sparrow earned his Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. His primary teachers include Mark Nuccio, Anthony McGill, and Pascual Martinez. During his summers, he furthered his studies at the Brevard Music Center’s Orchestral Institute and the Music Academy of the West in California.

What piece made you fall in love with music? 

The first youth orchestra pieces I performed in 6th grade: Bizet’s Carmen Suites and Haydn’s “Farewell" Symphony. The orchestra didn't have any oboes, so I got to play the oboe part for the Haydn.  

Do you have any pre-performance rituals? 

Coffee, without fail. 

What would you be doing if you weren’t a professional musician? 

Likely, I would be studying or teaching history. I really enjoy learning about history from any place or era, but especially local NC history. 

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you? 

I grew up on a farm with a variety of animals, including sheep, horses, a donkey, and most notably, a llama.