About
Joseph Samuel lives with his family in northern Italy where, in addition to composing, he performs regularly as clarinetist and guest conductor with the Filarmonica di Pordenone and volunteers regularly at the American school and chapel at the nearby NATO base.
Prior to his time in Italy, he was active in the musical scene of San Antonio a
Joseph Samuel lives with his family in northern Italy where, in addition to composing, he performs regularly as clarinetist and guest conductor with the Filarmonica di Pordenone and volunteers regularly at the American school and chapel at the nearby NATO base.
Prior to his time in Italy, he was active in the musical scene of San Antonio as a composer and conductor. He was the Associate Conductor and a founding member of the American Prize winning SAHarmonie Ensemble and was appointed as the Musical Director of the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble in 2019. He has spent thirteen years as a clarinetist, sound engineer, and guest conductor with Army bands at Fort Eustis, Virginia, Youngsan, Korea, San Antonio, TX, and Dublin, CA. His composition, Dublin’s Sword, written for and premiered by the 191st Army Band at the Golden Gate Community Band Festival in June 2019, has been received with high acclaim from audiences and performers alike, as well as the top leadership of the Army bands program.
Samuel has conducted numerous military and civilian musical ensembles across the country, having studied conducting with Lawrence Christianson, John Zarco, Ronald Ellis. He graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with a Bachelor of Music Degree cum laude in Clarinet Performance, where he studied with Chicago Symphony clarinetists Larry Combs and John Yeh, and with master pedagogue Julie DeRoche. Samuel earned his Master of Music in Conducting Degree and Graduate Certificate in Clarinet Performance at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he also intensely studied composition with James Syler and Ethan Wickman, as well as Federico Agostinelli of the Conservatorio Rossini during a semester abroad in Italy.
In addition to his time in the Army Band, he has spent many years in a wide variety of professional activities including freelance clarinetist and teacher, conductor, church worship leader/song-writer, and corporate sales manager for a security company in Chicago, and has gained a reputation as a master clarinet repair technician.