Sam Colcheedas

Pianist, composer

Initially studying Mechanical Engineering for three years at the University of Melbourne in 2014, his underlying passion was always the piano since he began learning the instrument at the age of six. He is currently resident pianist for the South Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Sam’s first public recital was in 2009 with cellist Joanna Tidy, at the Warburton Arts Centre. Since then he has performed in and around Victoria as a soloist, orchestral pianist and chamber musician and also traveled more recently to Italy to perform alongside highly regarded Italian pianist Edoardo Lenza in a piano duo recital. He also has performed numerous times live on air for 3MBS as a soloist and an associate artist, most notably as a competitor for ‘The Talent’ series 2, 2018. 

As an avid chamber musician, he works extensively with other pianists performing and recording the great piano duo repertoire such as Fauré’s Dolly Suite, Rachmaninov’s 6 Morceaux op.11 and Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. He has performed in masterclasses with pianists such as Geoffry Saba, Professor Ian Holtham, Igor Machlak, Stephen McIntyre, Glen Riddle, to name a few. As a composer he has been commissioned organisations such as The Royal Society of Victoria, where in 2019 he premiered his solo piano work ‘It’s getting dark now’ at Parliament House Victoria for National Science Week. Other works include his climate change inspired piece ‘A wayward Zephyr’ (2017) that was commissioned by The Carlton Connect Initiative for the exhibition ‘Naturophilia’ with artist Peter Sharp. More recently, his Aromatic Fantasy for String Quartet (2019) was premiered by the Invictus Quartet and was said to be “…melodic and stunningly evocative” – FeverPitch Magazine (November, 2019). 

He possesses his AMusA, DMus (MCM) and BMus (MCM) of Piano Performance at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music where he studied under the tutelage of renowned Australian pianist, Caroline Almonte.  He currently runs a busy private studio in Melbourne, composes and performs locally and internationally.