Sam Weiser, currently the first violinist of the Carpe Diem String Quartet, is a lifelong chamber musician and advocate of contemporary music.

He holds a number of positions around the Bay Area, including assistant concertmaster of the California Symphony, member of One Found Sound, and violinist in sfSound. Formerly, he was a member of the award-winning Del Sol Quartet.

Sam has performed all over the country, from the Herbst Theater and the Kennedy Center to a raft floating along the Yampa River. He has premiered over 200 new works by composers such as Vijay Iyer, Huang Ruo, and Chen Yi.

He is also a dedicated educator, having taught violin and chamber music at Sacramento State University and Chamber Music Conference, in addition to maintaining a private teaching studio.

Sam studied with Ian Swensen, Lucy Chapman, James Buswell, and Patinka Kopec. He holds bachelors’ degrees from Tufts University in computer science and the New England Conservatory in violin, as well as a master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in chamber music.

Outside of the violin, Sam loves cooking, a long bike ride, or a game of Dungeons & Dragons.