Samuel Kane

Sam Kane is a violinist and composer with a strong connection to both Classical and Folk music. Sam has performed as soloist with the Ulster Orchestra, Manchester Beethoven Orchestra, and at festivals across the UK and Ireland, including Clandeboye, Charles Wood, Blackwater Valley Opera, Belfast International Arts Festival, Mourne Chamber Music Festival, and Harp Ireland. He was a finalist at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) Concerto and Gold Medal Competitions and has received awards such as the Norman George Violin Prize, the Irish Heritage Homan Potterton Bursary for Strings, and the BBC Northern Ireland Young Musician’s Platform Award.

As a freelance musician, Sam has worked with ensembles including the Ulster Orchestra, Northern Ireland Opera, and Camerata Ireland, touring China with the latter.

Alongside performing, Sam is an active composer. He won the Liverpool Philharmonic’s Rushworth Composition Prize, leading to a premiere with Ensemble 10:10 under Domingo Hindoyan. His music has been commissioned by Buxton International Festival, Nomad, ORA Singers, Ulster Youth Orchestra, and the Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble - where he was Featured Young Artist for their 2023/24 Season. He has performed his own works at venues including Wigmore Hall, Leighton House, and St James’ Palace, London, and one of his larger pieces for soprano and orchestra was broadcast on Classic FM. Highlights of Sam’s work include performing new music with Rosie Murphy, NOMAD, and Ben Nobuto, as well as having lessons in composition with Caroline Shaw at the Stauffer Centre for Strings, Cremona.

Sam graduated with distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in 2024, where he studied with Cecily Ward, supported by Help Musicians Postgraduate Awards.

Sam plays a Vincenzo Panormo violin (c. 1800-10), generously on loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.