In demand as a soloist, Sam’s work has taken him across the world, performing in concert halls and cathedrals, and annually at the Victoria International Arts Festival in Malta. He has collaborated with numerous choirs, including the BBC Singers as part of Hull UK City of Culture, a performance recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3.
Sam’s commitment to promoting new music has led to a significant expansion of the repertoire for solo saxophone and choir. To date, he has commissioned and premiered over thirty new works in this genre. His debut album, Drop Down, Ye Heavens, was released by Delphian Records in 2016. A collaboration with the acclaimed vocal group Siglo de Oro, it reached a national audience on BBC Radio 3 and received critical acclaim, being described as “vividly executed” (BBC Music Magazine) and “so invigorating” (Gramophone Magazine).
His second album, Palimpsest, released by Signum Records in September 2023, was a collaboration with Canterbury Cathedral Choir, Arts Council England, Canterbury Festival and Canterbury University. The recording marked the culmination of a landmark project to reimagine new works from old for saxophone, choir, and organ. Fifteen pieces were specially commissioned by leading composers including Gabriel Jackson, Errollyn Wallen, and Roderick Williams. Other recent recordings include Gabriel Jackson’s The Christmas Story with Merton College Chapel Choir, Oxford (Delphian Records, 2024), and appearances as solo saxophonist on Gabriel Jackson’s Choral Works with Canterbury Cathedral Choir (Resonus Classics, 2025).
Sam studied for a Master’s degree, followed by an Artist Fellowship, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He leads a busy and multifaceted career and, when not performing as a soloist in the concert hall or recording studio, can be found playing with the Band of the Royal Air Force, singing in professional choirs, or teaching in universities and schools. He is currently a member of the music faculty at Canterbury Christ Church University and serves as Head of Wind at Charterhouse School, Surrey.
Sam has contributed to several publications on saxophone pedagogy, including books published by Music Sales Ltd. and Rhinegold Education, and has worked with the London College of Music to develop their saxophone syllabus. As a singer, he is regularly engaged as a concert and ecclesiastical choral tenor, and sings daily as one of the Lay Clerks at Winchester Cathedral.