Samuel Lord Kalcheim (he/him) composes in a variety of styles, old and new, and is dedicated to writing music that is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying, balancing tender lyricism with tight, complex formal architecture. Building on his expertise in 18th- and 19th-century styles and forms, Samuel writes expressive new music for today’s sensibilities.
New York Concert Review wrote of Samuel’s 2023 New York concert: “Mr. Kalcheim is proving to be a promising and accomplished young composer with much to offer the world… Stylistically, his music…reflects a wide range of influences from Romanticism, Impressionism, early 20th-century Russian composers, and much more, but it retains overall its rootedness in a traditional tonal language. More importantly than that, though, it reflects a fidelity to his own creativity, which he cultivates with integrity and intelligence.”
In 2025, Centaur Records released his debut album, Samuel Lord Kalcheim: Music for Cello, featuring Juan Aguilera Cerezo and Santiago Báez. Samuel’s past collaborators include TAK Ensemble, Contemporaneous, soprano Estelí Gomez, the Delgani String Quartet, the University of Oregon’s Musicking Conference, and the Elsewhere Ensemble. Upcoming projects include an album of piano music with Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams.
A master of classically inspired musical form, Samuel’s largest body of work is chamber music. He is also an accomplished composer for orchestra and chamber orchestra, and has recently completed two major song cycles: one for non-binary tenor Kristyn Michele, based on his own translations of ancient texts; and another, A New York Litany, written on poetry by Judy Prescott and composed for three major U.S. opera singers.
An experienced teacher of theory, musicianship, and composition in both university and private settings, Samuel is currently on the faculty at William Paterson University and Montclair State University. He is also at work on a keyboard harmony textbook, to be published in 2027.
Samuel completed his PhD at the University of Oregon, where he studied with composer Rob Kyr and completed a supporting area in music theory. He previously attended the University of Miami (MM) and the University of Chicago (BA), where he studied with Easley Blackwood, Marta Ptaszynska, and Augusta Read Thomas. Samuel is also an avid student of languages, speaking Italian, German, and Spanish, and reading Ancient Greek.
Artist’s Statement
My compositions display a wide variety of styles, and are united in balancing a tender lyricism with tightly efficient yet complex formal architecture. Building on my expertise in 18th and 19th c. styles and forms, I write expressive music for today’s sensibilities.