Short Bio - 190 words
Hailed for her "great dynamic sensitivity and exquisite phrasing," Samantha Johnson-Helms is a sought after collaborative musician and teacher. She currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Prior to being appointed to Principal Clarinet, she served as Second/E-flat Clarinet of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. She has also been featured as a concerto soloist with the Butler University Symphony Orchestra, the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra of Indiana. In addition to her regular performance schedule, Samantha is an in-demand substitute for ensembles in the Midwest and can be heard on recordings for Naxos and Hal Leonard. Samantha is also a founding member of the award winning clarinet quartet, the Novacane Quartet. The quartet's mission is to create new avenues for art music and encourage composers to write new, substantial works for the clarinet quartet repertoire. The quartet has commissioned and premiered many works, introducing new quality pieces to the clarinet quartet repertoire. Samantha is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University, studying with Howard Klug, and served as an Associate Instructor from 2017 to 2018.
Hailed for her "great dynamic sensitivity and exquisite phrasing," Samantha Johnson-Helms is a sought after collaborative musician and teacher. She currently serves as Principal Clarinet of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Prior to being appointed to Principal Clarinet, she served as Second/E-flat Clarinet of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. She has also been featured as a concerto soloist with the Butler University Symphony Orchestra, the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra of Indiana. In addition to her regular performance schedule, Samantha is an in-demand substitute for ensembles in the Midwest and can be heard on recordings for Naxos and Hal Leonard. Samantha is also a founding member of the award winning clarinet quartet, the Novacane Quartet. The quartet's mission is to create new avenues for art music and encourage composers to write new, substantial works for the clarinet quartet repertoire. The quartet has commissioned and premiered many works, introducing new quality pieces to the clarinet quartet repertoire. Samantha is currently pursuing her Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University, studying with Howard Klug, and served as an Associate Instructor from 2017 to 2018.