Biography

(b. 2000)

Hailed by the CBC as one of Canada’s ‘Hot 30 under 30 Classical Musicians’, Calgary-born Samuel Kerr enjoys a diverse musical life as a conductor, composer, percussionist, and pianist.

Sam begins his studies in the fall of 2026 as a Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he will be mentored by Yannick Nézet-Seguin and James Ross. The summer saw his debut conducting Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain “with elegance and a fine sense of phrasing…” (le Soleil) in Couture’s Reverie as a part of the Domaine Forget Conducting Academy – this followed Sam’s June debut with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra where he was selected to lead a performance of Kevin Lau’s Dark Angels Concert Suite while participating in that institution’s mentorship program.

Equally at home in the worlds of performing and creating, Sam’s music examines the role of memory, belonging, and the shifting concepts of home brought about through one’s coming of age. Further inspired by stark alpine soundscapes and wide-open spaces, his work combines a reverence for the natural world and mountains he grew up in with the permeating percussive rhythms and textures of his extensive background as a performer.

As a composer, Sam has written for the Adelio String Quartet, Nautilus Brass, New England Conservatory Symphony, the University of Toronto’s Wind and Percussion Ensembles, NYO Canada’s Chamberfest, and distinguished performers such as Beverley Johnston, Britton-Rene Collins, Andrew Busch, and Cassandra Wolff. Following the success of his first percussion concerto (Prairie Concerto), where he premiered the work as soloist with the University of Toronto Wind Ensemble and Gillian MacKay, he was commissioned by the Victoria Symphony to write a new concerto for Jacob Valcheff and the orchestra (Mountaintides) that will receive its premiere under the baton of Norman Huynh in November of 2026. Further upcoming highlights include the world premiere of his first string quartet (Agonal Passages) at Chisel Creek Classical, and a new work for the US’s Navy Band Southwest and the Spreckels Organ in San Diego.

Sam studied percussion and composition at the University of Toronto where he was a laureate of the UofT Winds Concerto Competition and TSYO Concerto Competition, in addition to spending two summers as an Award of Excellence percussionist with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He then completed graduate work in composition at the New England Conservatory, where he was awarded that institution’s Schuller Medal upon graduation in 2026 for “extraordinary contributions to the life of the conservatory.” A passionate educator, Sam led the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra in the premiere of his overture Fast Vibe in a Short Machine in 2023 and served as a guest conductor at the NEC Preparatory School. He is profoundly grateful to his mentors, including Aiyun Huang and Charles Settle (percussion), Gary Kulesha, Kati Agocs, and Michael Gandolfi (composition), and Simon Rivard (conducting) for believing in him and his music.

In his free time, Sam can be found either exploring the mountains or trying to fit very large instruments into very small cars.

(502 | July 2026)

CV (Current as of April 20, 2026)

Short Bio

Named by the CBC as one of Canada’s ’30 under 30’ classical musicians, Calgary-born Samuel Kerr enjoys a diverse musical life as a conductor, composer, and percussionist.

The summer of 2026 saw Sam debut as a conductor with Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain during the Domaine Forget Conducting Academy, following a performance of Kevin Lau’s Dark Angels Concert Suite with Ottawa’s National Arts Center Orchestra as a participant of that institution’s mentorship program.

As a composer, he has written for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Adelio String Quartet, Nautilus Brass, and celebrated performers such as Beverley Johnston, Andrew Busch, and Jacob Valcheff. Sam recently completed a new concerto for Mr. Valcheff and the Victoria Symphony (Mountaintides) to be premiered in November 2026.

A graduate of the University of Toronto and New England Conservatory, Sam joins the Curtis Institute of Music this fall as a Conducting Fellow under the tutelage of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and James Ross.

(154 | July 2026)