Violinist, Maria Sampen is a native of Bowling Green, Ohio. She graduated
summa cum laude from the University of Michigan, where she was a scholarship
student of Paul Kantor in the School of Music. She completed her Masters
of Music degree at Rice University in May, 1999 where she studied violin
with Kenneth Goldsmith and chamber music with Paul Katz and Norman Fischer.
She is currently working on her doctorate in violin performance at the
University of Michigan. Ms. Sampen has appeared as concerto soloist
with numerous orchestras throughout the United States and was named winner
of the concerto competitions at both the University of Michigan (1996),
and Rice University (1998) and received second prize in the William Byrd
International String Competition (2000). She has performed as a chamber
musician in the United States and abroad including recent engagements
in Singapore, Italy and Banff, Canada. She has spent her summers performing
as a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and the Tanglewood Music Festival
as well at the Mozarteum Sommerakademie in Salzburg, Austria and the
Interlochen Arts Camp. An active proponent of contemporary music, she
has worked with many composers including Pierre Boulez, William Bolcom,
John Harbison, Bernand Rands and William Albright and has performed as
violinist/violist in the new music ensembles at the Aspen Music Festival,
the University of Michigan and Rice University. Ms. Sampen concertizes
frequently with her parents--saxophonist, John Sampen, and composer/pianist,
Marilyn Shrude--with whom she made her New York City debut at Lincoln
Center's Bruno Walter Auditorium in June of 1996.
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