Instrument: Viola
With the RPO since: 2009
Hometown: Mastic Beach, NY
Non-RPO activities and hobbies: Running, lifting, swimming, singing
What music school did you attend, and who were your most inspirational teachers? Eastman School of Music; Eugene Becker, Veronica Salas, and George Taylor
Favorite books/movies: Running with Scissors / Crash
What kinds of music do you enjoy listening to? Classical, alternative, Latin
And if you had to pick just one, what’s your favorite piece? Way too hard to answer!!
People would be surprised to know…I love hamsters :)
What do you most enjoy about living in the Rochester area? All of the beautiful parks in the area.
What are your favorite restaurants in Rochester, and why? Cibon and Charlie's Frog Pond for their beautifully simple food.
The RPO is essential to the Rochester community because…It brings culture and energy to the city.
What sports team(s) do you root for? The Yankees
Favorite late-night snack: Popcorn
What is your favorite way to spend your day off? Practicing, going to the gym, and then treating myself to dinner at awesome local restaurants.
What is your most memorable musical experience? Winning my first concerto competition and playing it in the amazing Eastman Theatre.
Biography
Samantha Rodriguez, a native of Mastic Beach, New York, began playing the viola at the age of seven. Her early musical career brought her to the Juilliard Pre-College Division, where she studied with the late Eugene Becker, and to the stage of Carnegie Hall several times with the New York Youth Symphony. Samantha has recently received her BM and Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied and will continue to study for her MM with George Taylor. Ms. Rodriguez has distinguished herself as a soloist with Eastman's Philharmonia, Symphony, and Chorale. An avid chamber and orchestral musician, Samantha has served as principal violist for the Colorado College Music Festival for three summers, played with the National Repertory Orchestra and the Skaneateles festival, and given chamber music concerts for communities in Colorado Springs, Rochester, and Long Island. She has also studied with such notable figures as Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet, members of the Shanghai String Quartet and the Ying Quartet. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys swimming and teaching her students at the Hochstein School of Music.
