Samuel Armstrong

Born in Los Angeles, California, Sam Armstrong began studying the trombone at the age of 12 with Byron Peebles and James Miller of the LA Philharmonic. In 2008, he was accepted to The Juilliard School by Joseph Alessi and was awarded the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship. Later, he attended the Curtis Institute of Music, where he received the Ruth and Morris Williams Jr. Scholarship while studying with Blair Bollinger, Nitzan Haroz, and Matthew Vaughn. Before joining the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 2016, he served as Co-Principal Trombone of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and performed as a guest with the LA Philharmonic.

As a passionate educator, Sam holds the position of Artist Faculty at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore. He has also conducted masterclasses throughout Asia, including at the Alessi Seminar, Mahidol University, and the Tianjin Juilliard School. Mr. Armstrong is a founding member of Singabones, a trombone ensemble dedicated to nurturing talent of all ages. The mission of this group is to provide a regular gathering where community leaders strive to instill camaraderie and musical excellence. A solo highlight from 2022 was at the Thailand International Trombone Festival, where he played William Goldstein's "Colloquy" with the Million Wind Philharmonic led by Ricardo Mollá Albero.

Sam expresses immense gratitude to his parents, Mike and Joy Armstrong, as well as his godparents, Jim and Debbie Boltinghouse, all of whom are accomplished brass players themselves and have ardently supported him. While away from the concert stage, Sam enjoys studying the Tamil language, cooking, and exploring Singapore's rich culinary offerings with his wife, Maya Vinothini.