Composer, musician, and multi-instrumentalist Sam Parnin draws inspiration from many different musical traditions including classical, electronic, jazz, and afro-caribbean. As an artist who is committed to fostering lifelong creative connections, Parnin has collaborated with musicians and organizations including Dylan Shane, Josh Flores, Michael McKeague, Marisa Sardo, Eudora Tsai, John Sevy, and Ethan Wood; Indiana University Percussion Ensemble, the Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble, the Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra, and the Red Note Ensemble. 

 

In 2020, Sam formed the Sam Parnin Big Band, self-producing two EPs of original compositions: Canasta (2020) and Thinking Out Loud (2022). His band also premiered his piece Wingdings in the fall of 2023 at the Jacobs School of Music.

 

Sam wrote First Impression for the Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble in the fall of 2022, and in the spring of 2023 for the same ensemble, Auburn, which won the Owen Prize in Jazz Composition. Then in the spring of 2024, Sam arranged Star Eyes for the Natalie Boeyink Jazz Ensemble, a project that was a part of the Celestial Celebration Concert at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

 

Currently, he serves as the Principal Organist at North Park Covenant Church in Chicago. Prior to this, Sam worked as a church organist at various congregations in Fort Wayne and in Bloomington, Indiana.

Honors and awards include: Mayes Music Composer Competition (winner, 2024);  ISJAC/USF Owen Prize in Jazz Composition (winner, 2024); SCI Jazz Composition Award (honorable mention, 2023); MayesMusic Composer Competition (finalist, 2023).