Percussionist Samuel Z. Solomon has been responsible for dozens of world premieres of solo and small ensemble works and has been involved in numerous additional projects to perpetuate the music of young composers. He is author of How to Write for Percussion, a comprehensive guide for composers on percussion composition that has received critical acclaim worldwide and is available in three languages. He has also written four books on percussion playing and curated two collections of percussion etudes and solos.

Solomon currently teaches percussion at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston University. During the summers, he serves as Percussion Director of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) and Artistic Director of the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar. From 2007-2011 he was the President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. Solomon is founding member of the Line C3 percussion group and the Yesaroun’ Duo, from 2005-2010 he was percussionist-in-residence at Harvard University, and from 2003-2015 he was principal timpanist of the Amici New York Chamber Orchestra. Solomon can be heard as soloist and chamber musician on GM, Albany, Bedroom Community, New Focus, and Tzadik labels, as well as performing the music of Björk on the soundtrack to Matthew Barney’s Drawing Restraint 9.

Solomon made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 as guest soloist with the New York Youth Symphony, and in 1999 he was featured in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, performing the American premiere of Iannis Xenakis’ O-Mega for percussion solo and chamber orchestra with the New Juilliard Ensemble. Appropriately titled, O-Mega would prove to be the final work Xenakis composed before his death.

Solomon spent six summers as a student at Tanglewood, three as a Fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center, and six years at Juilliard, receiving two degrees under the tutelage of Daniel Druckman, Roland Kohloff, and Gordon Gottlieb. He currently lives in Scituate, Massachusetts with his wife, Kristy Errera-Solomon, and three children.

Solomon performs with Zildjian cymbals, Vic Firth beaters, Black Swamp accessories, and Pearl/Adams drums, hardware, and keyboards.

Short Biography:

Samuel Z. Solomon teaches percussion at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston University, is Percussion Director of The Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), and Artistic Director of the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar. From 2007-2011 he was president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. His book, “How to Write for Percussion,” has received critical acclaim from composers, performers, and conductors worldwide and is available in three languages. He has also authored four books on percussion playing and curated two collections of percussion etudes and solos.  Solomon is founding member of the Yesaroun’ Duo and the Line C3 percussion group, from 2005-2010 he was percussionist-in-residence at Harvard University, and from 2003-2015 he was principal timpanist of the Amici New York chamber orchestra. He can be heard as soloist and chamber musician on GM, Albany, Bedroom Community, New Focus, and Tzadik labels, as well as performing the music of Björk on her soundtrack to Matthew Barney’s film “Drawing Restraint 9.” Please visit www.szsolomon.com for more.