Juno nominated pianist Sam Kogen is an honours graduate from Humber College’s Bachelor of Contemporary Music where he studied with established and well-respected Canadian musicians; Pat Labarbara, Robi Botos, Kirk MacDonald, Geoff Young, and Mark Kelso. With 9 years of teaching experience, Sam has taught students of all ages, both as a clinician and a private instructor. His focus is to encourage students to play the music they love, but also to explore what might be unfamiliar styles as a way to stretch their knowledge base and their performance/composition skill level.
Sam is also active as a freelance performer, producer and composer. He performs regularly in Toronto as a soloist and as a member of several bands and jazz ensembles, including, indie rock/modern /jazz group Midcoast; The multi-award winning Brad Cheeseman Group; neo-soul/hip-hop artist Ashe, and The Snooky Tynes Soul Express. Sam recently released an EP and continues to compose and produce new material for his original project SO-GO-DO.