About Sam

Sam Rockwood is an in-demand professional oboist based in Portland, Oregon. He was recently appointed to the position of 2nd Oboe/English Horn with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra. Born and raised in the PNW, Sam has performed with many prominent orchestras in the region, including the Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony, 45th Parallel Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Symphony Tacoma, Vancouver Symphony (USA), Bellingham Symphony, Tacoma Opera, Bozeman Symphony, Lake Washington Symphony, Whatcom Chorale and Juneau Symphony. While in Graduate School, Sam also performed as a substitute for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. During his summers, he has recently appeared as a Guest Artist with Chamber Music Northwest and as principal oboist of the Siletz Bay Music Festival. Some notable conductors he has collaborated with include Andris Nelsons, Leonard Slatkin, Ludovic Morlot, Karina Canellakis, Michael Stern, Gemma New, David Danzmayr, Mei-Ann Chen, Norman Huynh, Earl Lee, and Hugh Wolff. 

 

Sam began his oboe studies with Jennifer Weeks in his hometown of Anacortes, WA. He earned his BM at the University of Washington, studying with Mary Lynch VanderKolk, and his MM at the New England Conservatory, studying with Mark McEwen. Throughout his training, Sam has participated in several summer festivals, including the National Repertory Orchestra, Miami Music Festival, and Marrowstone Music Festival.

 

As a teacher, Sam maintains a private oboe studio welcoming students of all levels. He offers extensive help with reed making, fundamentals, musical interpretation, and most importantly how to have fun while playing the oboe! Recently he also taught a public masterclass for oboe students attending Western Washington University.