SAMUEL DECAPRIO
cellist
Soloist, collaborator, and teacher, cellist Samuel DeCaprio is a dynamic performer and active freelancer based in the Tri-State area. His artistry has been recognized through numerous honors, including career advancement support from The Juilliard School, major awards from the Yale School of Music and the Eastman School of Music, and top distinctions in several national competitions.
His New York debut featured the North American premiere of Grażyna Bacewicz’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. As a soloist and chamber musician, DeCaprio has appeared internationally and has been featured on prominent radio programs such as WQXR, WFMT, NPR, and WCNI. His recording work spans several labels, including Delos, ECM Records, MSR Classics, and Nonesuch Records. He has performed as a substitute with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, and Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and has collaborated with ensembles including the Metropolis Ensemble and New York Classical Players.
A devoted chamber musician, DeCaprio has participated in leading festivals such as Ravinia Steans Music Institute, IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Les Rencontres Musicales de Noyers-sur-Serein, Domaine Forget, Kneisel Hall, Lake George, Meadowmount, and Orford Musique. His collaborative work has brought him together with esteemed artists including Atar Arad, Paul Biss, Natasha Brofsky, Steven Doane, Vladimir Feltsman, Joseph Lin, Daniel Phillips, David Shifrin, Barry Snyder, and Irma Vallecillo. He is the founder of the Arazzo Music Festival, an annual chamber music festival dedicated to presenting free high-caliber concerts and educational programming in his home state of Connecticut.
Deeply committed to contemporary music, DeCaprio has worked closely with living composers, performing and premiering new works by artists such as Tyondai Braxton, Yu-Hui Chang, Chaya Czernowin, Tina Davidson, Brett Dean, and David Virelles. He is also the creator of Project Mx2, a commissioning initiative devoted to expanding the repertoire for solo cello. Its first iteration presented new works by Matīss Čudars, Soomin Kim, Udi Perlman, Evdoxia Ragkou, and Samantha Wolf, supported by the Connecticut Office of the Arts.
DeCaprio’s extensive training includes studies at the University of Connecticut, Eastman School of Music, Mannes School of Music, Yale School of Music, and The Juilliard School. His principal mentors include Joel Krosnick, Aldo Parisot, Marcy Rosen, Steven Doane, and Kangho Lee.