Sam Pilafian

Growing up in Miami, Sam Pilafian developed into a tuba virtuoso who studied the instrument throughout his life and earned fellowships at Dartmouth and Tanglewood. Leonard Bernstein took notice of him in 1971, resulting in a featured role at the world premiere of Bernstein’s “Mass” at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Pilafian helped establish both the Empire Brass Quintet and the expansive Summit Brass ensemble. His recording and performance credits also include work with Pink Floyd, the Boston Symphony, Bernadette Peters, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 1991 he formed the duo Travelin’ Light with acoustic guitarist Frank Vignola; the pair focused on swing, classical, and jazz standards and issued recordings on the Telarc and Summit labels. Pilafian released the album Meltdown in 1998, with Scott Zimmer contributing on alto and soprano saxophones and interpretations of pieces by Ravel, Bartok, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Captain Beefheart. He held faculty appointments at Arizona State University, Boston University, and the Tanglewood Institute, and he served as president of T.U.B.A., the worldwide tuba organization.