Sam’s orchestra and chamber compositions have been perform­­ed by some of the country’s most esteemed ensembles and soloists. He has written dozens of works, including two symphonies, a piano concerto, and many chamber and solo pieces.

As a classical pianist, he has held many solo recitals and performed for sold-out audiences of over 3500 people, including several performances in Ann Arbor’s esteemed Hill Auditorium.

Sam is currently focused on producing music that combines his classical background with the sounds and structures of hip hop and electronic music. He recently finished a 5 song EP entitled “Partita,” which reimagines a Bach suite through the lens of modern EDM. He also has composed and produced a full-length album, “Symphony for Electronics.” In addition to his solo projects, Sam actively collaborates and co-produces with artists across many genres, ranging from Trap, Pop, House, Funk, and others.

Premiered February 27, 2018 at An Die Musik in Baltimore.​

Brightmoor is a musical journey through the rise and fall of one of America’s hardest hit neighborhoods, located in the northwest corner of Detroit. The piece spans a timeline of over one hundred years, beginning when Brightmoor was a flourishing community—hailed as an exemplary of the American dream—to the present day, when almost three quarters of the homes are vacant or burned down, and many streets go on for miles without a single occupied building.

Performed by Sam Saunders and the University Symphony Orchestra in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor Michigan. 

This piece was inspired by the city of Detroit, Michigan. I began teaching music in some of Detroit’s most underserved areas in the winter of my sophomore year. These early experiences in Detroit evoked raw, powerful emotions that inspired me to write this piece. I spent the next eight months creating Detroit, a single movement, 15-minute piano concerto.

Over the past 50 years, Detroit has experienced tremendous change. Once the wealthiest city in the country, Detroit now suffers from the nation’s highest crime and poverty rates, and has an estimated 90,000 vacant buildings. The population has decreased from 2.2 million to less than 700,000.

During my freshman year at the University of Michigan, I was a flanker on Michigan’s rugby team. I loved playing, but  I suffered three concussions. The cumulative effect of these concussions put me in an altered state of mind – voices right next to me sounded like they were echoing far off in the distance; I would wake up in the middle of the night with no perception of who or where I was – I felt entirely disassociated from reality. This feeling went on for almost six months, temporarily convincing me that I had gone crazy.

I began working on “Into the Depths of Madness”. Writing for hours a day in a dimmed room, I originally had no concept for the piece.  It was only after I had finished, and returned to a normal state of mind, that I could see what I had produced. The composition was my attempt at putting into music what is almost impossible to put into words – the feeling of losing one’s mind.