Sam Cave

Sam Cave is an English guitarist and composer who has established himself as one of the guitar’s leading exponents of new music and an innovative composer.

Sam’s performances have taken him to some of the most exciting venues and festivals in the UK and abroad with appearances at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Handel and Hendrix in London, London International Guitar Festival, City Showcase Festival, Leeds Leider+ Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, The Institute of Contemporary Arts, LSO St. Luke’s, AVGARDE concert series in Norway, the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre and the Tianjin May Festival in Tianjin, China. In 2012 Sam was selected for the prestigious Park Lane Group Young Artist Series.

In the past decade Sam has performed dozens of world premieres of both solo works and, with The Octandre Ensemble, chamber pieces by some of the leading young composers of our times including George Holloway, Gabriel Prokofiev, Darren Bloom, Lisa Illean and many others. He has recorded for both ‘Another Timbre’ and ‘Metier’ record labels and his playing has been broadcast on both ‘Late Junction’ and ‘The New Music Show’ on BBC Radio 3.

Sam studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Gary Ryan and Chris Stell with financial assistance from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust. He has also studied with Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Michael Zev Gordon, Michael Finnissy, Gilbert Biberian and Craig Ogden and graduated from the University of Southampton with first class honours and the Edward Wood memorial prize in music. In 2020 Sam completed a PhD in composition at Brunel University, London under the supervision of Christopher Fox and John Croft.

As a composer Sam’s work has been performed in the UK, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Italy, Australia and the USA by some of the most exciting young ensembles and soloists working today. He is an LSO Soundhub Associate Composer for 2017-20 and his music is published by Babelscores.

Now also an educator in much demand Sam is currently a tutor at Brunel University London and the London Youth Conservatoire, and he has been a guest lecturer in composition for guitar at Coventry University and a lecturer in composition and orchestration at Kingston University.

“...a very musical performer...it was Cave’s strong connection with the music which made the work accessible...the composer George Holloway describes Cave as the composer’s dream performer. I absolutely agree...” — Therese Saba, Classical Guitar Magazine (UK)

“Sam Cave plays with excellent concentration and a sense of honesty and respect. He urges you to listen with open senses and reveals a rich world of musical being, far from the main roads of mainstream culture. He affirms the guitar’s position as an instrument capable of reaching beyond its romantic associations and becoming a medium for great, groundbreaking art. This CD is great sounding and has the power to naturally deliver the abstract beauty of this music.” — Ange Turell, Gitarr och Luta (Sweden)

“[A] challenging but infinitely rewarding disc. Eloquence seems to be the very heart of this release... highly atmospheric, electrically virtuosic, and utterly compelling. Fascinating, stimulating fare, beautifully performed and recorded.” — Colin Clarke, Fanfare (USA)

“Refracted Resonance by Sam Cave is a daring and beautiful exploration of new soundscapes on the modern guitar. From intimate and spacious mediations to virtuosic contrasts, Cave creates new worlds of sound in focused and thoughtful performances of new music and pinnacle modern works.” — Bradford Werner, This is Classical Guitar (Canada)