Featured April, 2023

Sam’s interest in singing began around age 7- 8 when he became part of his church children’s choir. His family moved to Hansen, ID, into a house that contained a 1918 upright player piano.  While his father enjoyed pumping the pedals to play his favorite “Turkey in the Straw,” Sam started piano lessons. Six years later he made his first career decision regarding music. “Rather than two hours a day practicing with a concert pianist, I decided on medicine rather than music for a career. I wanted a more normal teenage life that included sports.” 

While he played trombone in the school band, he discovered that he had an ear for harmony and tried out bass, baritone, and tenor parts singing camp songs with his high school church youth group. He joined a barbershop chorus in Lewistown, MT, in 1978, and continued with this genre when he moved to Delta in 1981: he’s a 40-year member of the Black Canyon Barbershop Chorus. He sang tenor in the barbershop quartet “The Sound Production” for a number of years and the baritone lead in the quartet “Fourmata.”

He thanks his involvement with the VSA Chorus for the majority of his education in vocal singing. “A director of the chorus, in addition to preparing a great performance, has the opportunity to both teach and model vocal singing technique.” In 1982, he sang with various regional choruses, and when he moved back to the area in 2000, he rejoined these groups that would together become the VSA Chorus in 2002.

Sam continues to enjoy singing in the VSA chorus and his church choir, and recently started playing his trombone in the Cedaredge Community Band. He has been part-time pianist and organist for the Delta United Methodist Church for the last 25-30 years. In addition to making music, he enjoys traveling with his wife, Lana, to visit their 10 grandchildren, Rotary, gardening, making wine, and exercising by walking, biking, and hiking.