Samuel Catania (b. 1995) is currently working toward a BFA in both Trumpet Performance and Music Composition/Technology at UW–Milwaukee.  He is currently studying Composition with Dr. Jonathan Monhardt, Pipe Organ with Jim Burmeister, and Trumpet with Professor Kevin Hartman.  He has also studied Piano with Peggy Otwell, Composition with Chris Burns and Steven Schlei, and Pipe Organ with Jeffry Peterson.

Sam is a versatile and determined composer.  He strives to find unique ideas and sounds for each of his works.  He has a keen interest in developing new sounds and approaches for traditional ensembles.  For example, he incorporated extended performance techniques and improvisation in his last work for band, Angels and Demons.  He is currently interested in Michael Markowski, John Mackey, Andrew Boysen Jr., Mark Camphouse, and Frank Ticheli and their approaches to contemporary band composition.  He is also interested in writing for orchestra, percussion ensemble, chamber winds, and for film. Sam is currently writing a large work for symphonic orchestra. 

Sam has received commissions from West Allis Nathan Hale High School and UW-Milwaukee Ensembles.  Awards include the John Philip Sousa award (2013), Louis Armstrong award (2013), and the Semper-Fi music scholarship (2013) for his determined attitude toward music composition and for his love for music in general.  

Sam’s long-term compositional goals are to work as a film composer and to produce and record his own music. After discovering that very little film music is published, Sam also decided that it would be a goal of his to make his film scores available for study by young composers.

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