Education Profile:
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Instrumental Conducting
Biography:
Dr. Samantha Clarke, conductor and flutist, is a Long Island native of East Rockaway, New York. Dr. Clarke is thrilled to be joining the esteemed faculty of the Department of Music at Washington Adventist University as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands, where she conducts the Washington Concert Winds and teaches conducting.
Dr. Clarke completed her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Instrumental Conducting in May 2023 at George Mason University’s Dewberry Family School of Music. Throughout her time at George Mason University, Dr. Clarke held the role of Doctoral Assistant Conductor to the Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony as well as Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Dewberry Family School of Music. She studied conducting with Prof. Anthony Maiello, Prof. Mark Camphouse, and Dr. William Lake, Jr., and flute in the studio of Prof. Julianna Nickel.
Along with her work at WAU, Dr. Clarke is a member of the administrative staff of Mason Community Arts Academy, where she coordinates instrumental music education outreach in local schools through their Instruments in the Attic donation program, which serves music programs in need in the DMV, throughout the United States, and internationally.
Prior to moving to Virginia, Dr. Clarke taught music and band at the elementary, middle and high school levels on Long Island. Additionally, she served as Associate Conductor of the Long Island University (LIU) Post Wind Symphony from 2017 to 2019. Dr. Clarke holds both a master’s degree in conducting and a bachelor’s degree in music education from LIU Post. While pursuing her master’s degree, she served as the Graduate Assistant Conductor to the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, String Ensemble, and Orchestra, studying conducting under Dr. James McRoy and Prof. Maureen Hynes. Dr. Clarke was also very fortunate to have studied flute with Karla Moe for ten years.
As an avid performer both as a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Clarke’s most recent recital was in October 2022, featuring works for flute and piano as well as flute alone. She served as a flutist and woodwind teacher for the Songe d’été en musique School and Festival in Quebec, Canada for seven years, where she collaborated with many different instrument combinations in the chamber music setting in addition to being a featured solo musician. Dr. Clarke also performed in Puerto Rico with the LIU Post Wind Symphony and in Australia at the Sydney Opera House as principal flutist of the Long Island Symphonic Winds.
Dr. Clarke’s performance honors include participation in the Long Island Flute Club Competition twice, placing first in 2012 and third in 2011. Additionally, she was featured as a soloist with the LIU Post Wind Ensemble at Tilles Center in April 2014 as a winner of the LIU Post Concerto Competition.
As an author, Dr. Clarke published her dissertation, “‘Always With Kindness’: The Life and Career of Music Educator and Conductor, Anthony Maiello” in May 2023. For her master’s thesis in 2017, she completed a Music Education Research Study titled: “A Comparative Study of Best Teaching Practices Across Three High School Performance Ensembles: Band, Chorus and Orchestra.” Additionally, she published an article in the Summer 2020 National Band Association (NBA) Journal, a book review in the 2019 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Fall Report and has a contract with GIA Publications (Chicago) for an upcoming book detailing the life and teachings of Anthony Maiello.
You can visit her website at samanthakclarke.com