Samantha Kushnick
Cello, Violin, Viola
Samantha Kushnick settled in Portland in 2007 after graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory with a degree in cello performance. Raised in New York in a musical family (her great-uncle, Fred Hellerman, is a founding member of the folk quartet, The Weavers), Sami is a cellist, singer, songwriter and arranger in the folk tradition.
In addition to her solo career, Sami performs regularly with the Portland Cello Project (hailed by Spin Magazine as an “indie orchestra [that] gives classical music a jolt of energy”) and Typhoon, Portland’s thirteen-piece indie rock ensemble.
Sami has collaborated with many critically acclaimed musicians both on stage and in the studio. Among these artists are Mirah, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Berlin Philharmonic director Sir Simon Rattle, the Oregon Ballet Theater, and members of the Oregon Symphony. Through her travels with Typhoon, Sami has shared a stage with the Dandy Warhols and the Decemberists and has performed at the Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza, and on The Late Show with David Letterman. Sami has performed classical and contemporary works throughout North America, at venues ranging from Oregon’s Britt Festival to Carnegie Hall.
Sami studied with cellists Hans Jensen and Matt Haimovitz. She has taught private lessons and chamber music at Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, New York, as well as at The Crowden School in Berkeley, California and Community Music Works in Providence, Rhode Island. While attending Oberlin, Sami started the the Music Mentors program, through which college students volunteer to teach music in the Oberlin public schools.
Sami enjoys teaching cello and fiddle to students of all ages and abilities. Lessons focus on exploring a variety of genres of music with a foundation in classical repertoire.
www.portlandcelloproject.com
www.wearetyphoon.com
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