A native of San Antonio, TX, Samuel Almaguer has served as Principal Clarinet of the North Carolina Symphony since 2015. He has been featured as a soloist with the North Carolina Symphony on multiple occasions performing the concertos of Mozart, Copland, and Richard Strauss. He has performed as guest principal clarinet with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and with La Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico City. In addition, he has performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As a chamber musician, Almaguer has been featured at the Incontri Musicali festival in Spoleto, Italy; the Cactus Pear Music Festival in San Antonio, TX; and the Annapolis Chamber Music Festival. He has enjoyed dabbling in contemporary music, performing as a guest artist with the Festival of Contemporary Music at Tanglewood, Wild Up! in Los Angeles, and New Music Raleigh. He frequently performs with North Carolina Symphony musicians in chamber and contemporary music projects throughout the Triangle area.
Almaguer’s performances have been broadcast on WGBH Boston, WUNC, and local television in Los Angeles. At a young age he was featured on National Public Radio’s From the Top with pianist Christopher O’Riley. He received his undergraduate degree at The Colburn School in Los Angeles and attended Rice University for graduate studies. He was also a fellow at both the Tanglewood Music Center and Music Academy of the West. His primary teachers include Yehuda Gilad, Richie Hawley, and Ilya Shterenberg. He was a 2013 Vandoren Emerging Artist.