Sam Kane is a Northern Irish violinist and composer whose work bridges contemporary classical music with the influence of traditional Irish music. As a violinist, he has appeared as soloist with the Ulster Orchestra and Manchester Beethoven Orchestra, and has performed at festivals across the UK and Ireland including Clandeboye, Charles Wood, Blackwater Valley Opera, Belfast International Festival of Chamber Music, Mourne Chamber Music Festival, Buxton International Festival and Harp Ireland.

 

A finalist in both the RNCM Concerto and Gold Medal Competitions, Sam was awarded the Norman George Violin Prize, the Irish Heritage Homan Potterton Bursary for Strings, and the BBC Northern Ireland Young Musician’s Platform Award. He has freelanced with the Ulster Orchestra, Northern Ireland Opera, Hallé, and Camerata Ireland, touring China with the latter in 2025. Sam graduated with distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2024, where he studied violin with Cecily Ward.

 

As a composer, Sam was awarded the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Rushworth Composition Prize in 2023 and was commissioned to write for Ensemble 10:10 under Domingo Hindoyan. His music has since been performed by the Ulster Orchestra, Buxton International Festival, NOMAD, Ulster Youth Orchestra, Mourne Chamber Music Festival, and the Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, where he was Featured Young Artist during the 2023/24 season. Recent highlights include collaborations with NOMAD and Ben Nobuto, alongside composition lessons with Caroline Shaw at the Stauffer Centre for Strings in Cremona. Sam is founder and Artistic Director of Furness Festival Strings, and performs on a Vincenzo Panormo violin generously on loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.