Pianist, composer and educator Sam Hirsh has been an active member of the Los Angeles jazz community for over a decade and is gaining recognition for his soulful, energetic sound. “Hirsh finds new poetry in the rich vocabulary of the hard bop to post-bop continuum” -Andrew Gilbert Sadamu Samuel Hirsh was born in Kyoto, Japan. He and his family moved to Portland, Oregon, USA, when he was four years old. Sam started playing piano shortly after, and eventually acquired classical training. He began playing jazz his freshman year of high school and one year later was working professionally, leading his own piano trio and working with various local artists.  In 2009, Hirsh moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music where he was mentored by Alan Pasqua, Russ Ferrante and Otmaro Ruiz. He can be seen playing as the leader of the Sam Hirsh Trio/ Quartet and as a sideman with John Clayton, Willie Jones III, Charles McPherson, Terrace Martin, Gilbert Castellanos, Ralph Moore, Chuck Redd and John Holiday, among others. Sam has performed at many notable venues including Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, SF Jazz Joe Henderson Lab and Mezzrow Jazz Club. Hirsh’s debut album Quite Frankly (2020), featuring saxophone icon Ralph Moore and bassist John Webber made JazzWeek Radio Chart’s top 20. His second album Quarantine Dreams (2022), features the immense talent of various Los Angeles based artists. Hirsh aims to carry on the tradition of this art form and simultaneously create his own voice in the music. Sam is also a dedicated educator. Along with a thriving private practice, since 2017, he has accompanied UCLA undergraduate Jazz Vocal classes with Ruth Price and Luciana Souza. Hirsh was named piano faculty at the first annual Quincy Jones Jazz Camp in the summer of 2019 and was invited to be on faculty of the COJAC Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Camp alongside Gerald Clayton and Katie Thiroux in 2020. In 2024, he accepted a faculty position at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. He has given masterclasses at several institutions internationally.