Musician Bio

Sam Rothstein is currently Acting Principal Clarinet with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, having been appointed as Assistant Principal and Bass Clarinet with the ISO in 2015 by Music Director Kryzysztof Urbański. Prior to joining the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, he was a member of the Richmond Symphony and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

As an orchestral musician, he has performed as a guest with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, New World Symphony and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Summer festival appearances include the Bravo Vail Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto Festival USA and Tanglewood Music Center, where he was also a member of the New Fromm Players.

As an educator, Sam maintains an active private teaching studio and has presented masterclasses at Northwestern University, UNC-Greensboro, Ball State University, Butler University, Oakland University and the Digital Clarinet Academy. Sam is the creator, producer and host of the Candid Clarinetist podcast, which has amassed over 20,000 lifetime downloads.

Sam holds a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and considers J. Lawrie Bloom, Steve Cohen, and Michael Wayne his primary teachers and mentors.