Sam Young is a composer, music theorist, percussionist, and educator. His work explores the soundscapes of both natural and urban environments, and ranges from music for wind ensemble and chamber groups, to experimental electronic music and synth pop. He has been a featured composer at festivals such as the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, California Summer Music, and the International Summer Academy of Music in Germany, and his music has been performed by artists such as Jose Menor, wild Up!, and the Adelaide Wind Ensemble. An avid collaborator, Sam often works across disciplines with choreographers and filmmakers to create compelling multimedia experiences. He has composed scores for numerous animation and short film projects, and in 2020, he created an electronic score combining environmental sounds and synthesis for Los Angeles choreographer Marianna Varviani’s performance piece Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes.

Before he began composing, Sam enjoyed a career as a professional drummer, performing and recording with national touring bands Devotchka and the Samples, and is currently drummer and arranger for rock band Kick and the Hug. Drawing on his experience as a drummer, he creates music that is rhythmically driven and spacious in texture, finding intersections between popular music and classical performance traditions. As a music theorist, his research interests include music theory pedagogy, rhythm and meter, and musical characteristics of speech.

Originally from Boulder, Colorado, he received his PhD in music composition from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also holds degrees from Mannes School of Music (MM) and Metropolitan State University of Denver (BM). His principal composition teachers include David Lefkowitz, Ian Krouse, David Tcimpidis, Cherise Leiter, and Fred Hess. He has previously taught at Pepperdine University, UCLA, and Metropolitan State University of Denver.