Described by Chicago Tribune critic John Von Rhein as “uncommonly talented”, Samberg began performing his own music at the age of ten. Growing up in Chicago, he engaged with the new music scene, and studied privately with composer and pianist Frank Abbinanti. In 2003, he was described as an “eco-pianist” at the Portland Village Building Convergence (especially due to his composition Larsen B, named after one of the largest ice shelves to ever fall off of Antarctica.)

A champion of contemporary music, Samberg was honored to play John Cage’s Concert For Piano and Orchestra at the Cage centennial event at New England Conservatory, and received a composition degree at CalArts, studying under Michael Pisaro, Nicholas Deyoe, Mark Lowenstein, and Vicki Rae. He performed on keyboards for the experimental US black metal band Liturgy in the world premiere of their multimedia opera, Origin of the Alimonies, and collaborated with C. Eule Dance Company in an original choreographed worked called Zero Tolerance, about the forced separation of families by ICE agents at the US-Mexico border.

Since 2020, he has lived in Seattle, and has continued to take cues from nature, environmentalism, and aspects of human relationships to inform his vibrant compositions for piano solo. For this concert, he’s thrilled to also present works by renowned Seattle-based composer Garrett Fischer.

Join him for an introspective winter afternoon of intricate, original piano music in a historic Portland venue.