Samantha Martinez-Brockhus
Samantha Martinez-Brockhus holds a real passion for piano and for teaching music. She is a recipient of the Carol Nott Pedagogy Prize in 2016 from the Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she minored in pedagogy. Later, at the University of Oklahoma, she received a double Masters in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. She served as the Applied Piano Teaching Assistant for non-major applied lessons as well as for both music major and non-major class piano instruction at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Additionally, Samantha was awarded the Applied Piano Teaching Assistantship to both individual private undergraduate music lessons as well as instruction for non-major class piano for all college students at the University of Minnesota. Past students of hers have participated in MTNA’s Fall Festivals where they have received superior and superior plus ratings, as well as performed in an Honors Recital in Oklahoma. Currently faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music as a piano teaching artist, Samantha is excited to teach students of all ages.
Samantha has studied pedagogy with Andrea McAlister, Barbara Fast, and Jane Magrath.
Samantha also holds degrees in Piano Performance. She graduated from Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Oberlin College and Conservatory, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Minnesota. She also has received an Artist Certificate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Samantha’s solo performances stretch from the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria to Miami to the Midwest. As part of Interlochen’s 50th Anniversary Piano Tour, Samantha performed throughout Michigan. Samantha has also participated in the Montecito International Music Festival in California. She has held and participated in a series of concerts at her home in Wisconsin, performed a duo concert in Oklahoma, was the designated violin studio accompanist to Geoffrey Herd and vocal accompanist to Scott Skoog in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has also been featured in and recorded for Gian Afrisando’s music video, “Tangguh”, and performed with Minnesota’s Golden Valley Orchestra.
Throughout the past three summers, Samantha has performed with the Interlochen Arts Academy’s music department, where she has premiered Ben Lohrberg’s junior musical theater production of “Imagine It!”, in 2022, as well as performing with the high school instrumental department. This past summer, she performed with their vocal department’s intermediate vocal studio, choir, and operetta, “Pirates of Penzance”.
Samantha has studied piano performance with Belinda Green, Natalia Berdnikova, Mark Davis, Stefanie Jacobs, Eun-Joo Kwak, TJ Lymenstull, Angela Cheng, Jeongwon Ham, Igor Lipinski, Chih-Long Hu, Kyong Kim, and Paul Shaw.