At 17 years of age, Samuel Siskind has already crafted a career in music composition, releasing his debut album "Awake" in August and bringing his live music to Newport Beach on Nov. 3 for a show with Choral Arts Initiative. Born in Santa Monica, the former Crossroads School for the Arts & Sciences attendee also earned the 2024 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award.
Before he even knew what composition was, music was on the mind of a young Siskind, who had his parents play classical music radio in the car during drives to school. He discovered his brother’s upright piano at the age of four, where be began to play with making his own pieces.
"It’s just such an incredible area to live in, because there’s access to so many musical schools and incredible teachers," Siskind said of his Santa Monica upbringing. "So I was very fortunate to start taking piano lessons and [transitioning] to singing [and] into composition. It’s a really great place, environment to be in."
Wanting more out of his musical experiences even in youth, the then-third grade Siskind signed up to perform in the National Children’s Chorus LA Chapter, an endeavor he said "changed everything." He also auditioned "on a whim" for an LA Opera production of Noah’s Flood, becoming a principal singer which led to further opportunities.
At 11, Siskind was introduced to UCLA Professor Ian Krouse, who became his mentor in the world of composing. Crafting one’s own music requires being "like a sponge," he said, taking in as much information as possible in order to have the attributes of a great composer.
"What really makes a great composer, in my eye, is someone who understands who they’re writing for, someone who is willing to be flexible," Siskind added. "If you write something and it’s not working in rehearsals, [it’s] someone who can say ‘I have a solution, I have a way to make this work.’ Someone who is empathetic to the performer, someone who is cognizant of the performer … because at the end of the day, what we write is up to them to interpret."
Siskind began working on his own interpretations of his environment when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. He ended up leaving Los Angeles during the pandemic to stay with family in Montana, leaving him alone with the mental stressors impacting his generation.
"While I was up there, I like so many other adolescents at the time, I was feeling isolated, I was feeling alone and so deeply frustrated that we could not be together, that we could not step into a room and create music and do these things together," he said.
These feelings led to him doing something uncommon for a composer, writing his own poetry to set to music. Over the course of three years, these compositions turned into "Awake," a musical buffet that incorporates jazz and inspiration from conducting icons like Gustav Mahler. The musical ideas, Siskind said, were all under the idea of how his generation can make their "voices soar" amidst mental struggles.
"I think that mental health is a big overarching theme of something that we need to work on together, especially for adolescents and for younger people, and that’s really something that I hope that through my music, that I can approach and I can help younger folks connect with each other and share their dreams and get through difficult times," Siskind said.
Siskind’s vision was co-signed by his elders, such as Grammy-nominated baritone Johnathan McCullough and Georg Solti Conducting Award winner Christopher Allen, who both lended their talents to "Awake." Siskind called both "incredibly generous in believing in me to create this project."
"I first knew Samuel as a principal singer with a strong baritone voice, but then found out that he composed as well," McCullough said of the prodigy. "I asked to hear some of his pieces and knew right away that he had a very special talent. It is vitally important that the music we make spreads messages of what we are passionate about and Samuel does just that."
Siskind will be sharing his passion in Newport Beach for the opening performance of Season 13 of Choral Arts Initiative, his first time performing tracks from "Awake" in an experience he still has trouble believing is his new reality.
"It’s really quite exciting and it’s always really surreal," he said of bringing live music back to the Los Angeles community. "I remember being a little kid going to the LA Phil on Saturdays and watching … I’m this little kid watching the conductor and the composer and the musicians on stage, and for me to be standing on that stage now is really quite surreal."
"Awake" is now out on all major streaming platforms. To purchase tickets for the Choral Arts Initiative show, visit choralartsinitative.org.
thomas@smdp.com
