Violinist Sam Vaillancourt served as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, with whom he was featured as a soloist in 2024, and he served as concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus, with whom he was featured as a soloist in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He performed as a member of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra Chamber Players, and the Franklin Pond Chamber Music Program. He was chosen to represent the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra in a chamber concert where he performed with members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He is currently a contracted violinist in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and an Artist Ambassador for the Samuel Vargas International Music Foundation, for which he was on the jury for the 2024 SV Scholars violin competition.
In 2023, Sam attended the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute, where he worked with renowned artists and esteemed faculty, including but not limited to Paul Kantor, Jinjoo Cho, Brendan Shea, Steve Miahky, the Catalyst and Cavani Quartets, and more. In 2023/2024, Sam attended the Red Rocks Winter Chamber Music Festival, where he worked with renowned artists such as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Sheila Browne, and Tom Landshoot. In 2024, Sam attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival where he had the opportunity to work with Sergiu Schwartz, and give many featured performances. In 2022, Sam attended the Montecito International Music Festival where he performed in a masterclass for Rice University/Juilliard violin professor and international soloist, Cho Liang Lin. In 2021, Sam attended the Chamber Festival Intensive at the Idyllwild Summer Arts Academy where he was named assistant concertmaster of the festival orchestra and worked with Los Angeles’ Colburn School of Music faculty Sam Fischer and John Walz. In 2022 Sam’s quintet was featured in a masterclass given by Emerson String Quartet members Phil Setzer and Lawrence Dutton. Through the Schwob School of music, he has also had the opportunity to perform in a masterclass for the Quicksilver Baroque Ensemble, and serve as a featured solo artist for the Schwob School of Music’s Annual “Kaleidoscope” production in 2024, as well as a soloist in the Schwob School’s Opening Convocation in the same year.
Sam is involved in many ensembles at the Schwob School of Music, including but not limited to various chamber groups, faculty-student exchanges, the Schwob Philharmonic, where he served as rotating concertmaster in 2024, the Schwob Virtuosi Ensemble, the Schwob Opera Orchestra, and has served as Principal Second Violin for the Columbus Ballet pit orchestra since 2023. Sam has participated in All-State Orchestras annually since 2020, performing in leadership roles in 2023 (concertmaster), 2021 (concertmaster), and 2020 (principal second) and was a finalist in the 2021 Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition. He was awarded 4th place in the same competition in 2020. He competed in the Junior, Senior, and Young Artist MTNA competitions in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024, where he received Honorable Mention in 2021, 2023, and 2024. In 2024, Sam was named a finalist for the inaugural Panama City Symphony Emerging Young Artists Competition, and the Schwob School of Music Concerto Competition. In 2022, Sam was awarded 1st prize in the Great Composers Competition: Best Saint Saens Performance. He was also awarded 1st prize in the Great Composers Competition: Best Saint Saens Performance in the solo and chamber divisions. Sam was also awarded 1st prize in the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2023. Sam was awarded 2nd Prize in the Great Composers Competition: Best Bach Performance in 2024. Sam was named as an alternate for the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America in 2023 and is one of three winners of the Schwob School of Music’s Woodruff Scholarship. He was also awarded second prize in the Atlanta Federation of Musicians’ John H. Head Scholarship Competition. He is currently studying violin performance with Prof. Sergiu Schwartz at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. Sam currently plays on a violin made by Wojciech Topa in 2020.
Watch Sam Stewart Vaillancourt perform Tzigane: Rhapsodie de Concert by Maurice Ravel on the violin for the 2025 Classical Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.