Bio
Sam J. Macken is the Instructor of Bassoon at CSU Pueblo, and member of the faculty woodwind quintet. He is an active performer and educator, and currently holds the Associate Principal bassoon position with the Helena Symphony Orchestra, and the 2nd bassoon position with the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra. He has played regularly with professional orchestras across Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Montana. He is currently studying for the Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder, where his research focuses on the pedagogical and ethnomusicological analysis of works for bassoon by Native American and Indigenous composers. Sam completed his undergraduate study at the University of Tulsa, and earned the Master of Music from the University of Oklahoma. He has studied bassoon with Douglas Huff, Jim Fellows, Rod Ackmann, and Yoshi Ishikawa. He has been a Cherokee Nation Scholar and Artist since 2016.