People

Samantha Adams-Blanco (age 17) is a cellist and composer from Los Angeles. She studies cello with Benjamin Lash at the Colburn Community School. She began her cello studies at age ten after first hearing the instrument in a film score. Samantha is a member of Colburn’s Honors Chamber Music Institute, where her quartet has gone on to place in competitions including MTAC’s VOCE, Coltman Competition, and American Virtuoso. Samantha is a 2023-24 LA Philharmonic Composer Fellow. She was a member of the 2022 Fortissima cohort and has participated in masterclasses with Clive Greensmith and members of the Sphinx Virtuosi.