Born and raised near Galveston island, Samuel Savanich is a young and fervent musician who is going into his second year of his B.M. in Music Education at the Moores School of Music, studying violin under the direction of Dr. Kirsten Yon. He started his first-semester auditing Prof. Franz Anton Krager’s conductors class to get a start in orchestral conducting, which is his long-term career goal and utmost passion. His musical passions have won him many spots in festival orchestras, finalist spots of multiple concerto competitions, and has taken him to many wonderful concert halls. In 2023 he was named a Texas Music Scholar under TMEA (Texas Music Education Association), an award dedicated to students who exemplify attributes of meritorious performance in the areas of scholarship, musicianship, and citizenship. He is currently serving his first year as a Houston Symphony Fellow, where he teaches young elementary kids alongside symphony musicians, as well as being an intern for the American Festival of the Arts (working with conductors such as Dr. Perron-Blair and Dr. Evans. Samuel holds a spot as an instrumentalist at the St. Mary’s of a Miraculous Medal Catholic Church and performs with numerous community orchestras in the greater Houston area as a violinist and violist. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies with his grandparents, hanging out with friends, learning different instruments, and creating varying artworks (watercolor, clay, pastels). He has three dogs at home (Charlie, Louis, and Dobby) and a very supportive and loving family. Recent projects include the Cougar Camerata and the Texas City String Academy, both created to foster the contusion and education of music in young people. Samuel hopes to push the boundaries of the music industry one day and establish easy and accessible music education regardless of one’s sex, gender, income, and race.