Young Maestro Shares His Love of Music with the World

"[My scholarships] have given me the ability to attend prestigious summer music programs and festivals that are often quite expensive and have also enabled me to travel for important competitions and graduate auditions."

Samuel Sun first picked up the violin at the age of nine, and he's never put it down. "I was immediately drawn to the violin because I could play music with other kids in orchestra," he recalls. "It was really the social and communal aspect of music that drew me to the instrument. To this day, sharing my love of music with others and being a part of something greater than oneself is still one of the driving forces behind my love and pursuit of music professionally." 

At the age of 15, Sam was among the winners in the world-renowned Great Composers Competition, the first international competition in which he successfully placed. "It was very validating to see my hard work pay off and to receive recognition for my musical abilities," he says. "This experience definitely motivated me to continue practicing and improving, and it helped me gain confidence in my musical abilities."

When it came time to think about pursuing his undergraduate studies, Sun wanted to attend a school that offered a strong liberal arts curriculum and a high-level music program. He found that at Seaver College. "I wanted to receive a well-rounded education while still being able to focus on my music studies," he notes. 

Sun also plays the viola, an instrument with which he plans to make a career in performance.  He pursued a double major in applied performance and music education at Seaver. He says this allowed him flexibility to pursue the violin and viola equally, which also drew him to the program.

While at Pepperdine, Sun had the privilege of studying with Alexander Treger, the former Los Angeles Philharmonic concertmaster and one of his generation's greatest violinists. "I was given opportunities to be both the concertmaster and the principal violist of the orchestra, and I performed a senior capstone recital on both instruments," he says.

Additionally, Sun had the opportunity to study conducting with Pepperdine’s orchestra director Dr. Pierre Tang, and he conducted the orchestra on a few occasions in concerts at Smothers Theatre. "These opportunities to effectively double major in two instruments and even conduct the school orchestra would have been very hard to come by at any other undergraduate music program or school," he asserts.
 
All of these life-changing experiences would not have been possible had he not been awarded dual Pepperdine scholarships. Sun says he is grateful he had the flexibility to pursue his studies without worrying about financial burdens. "[My scholarships] have given me the ability to attend prestigious summer music programs and festivals that are often quite expensive and have also enabled me to travel for important competitions and graduate auditions," he says. 

"The career path of an artist has always contained a degree of unpredictability and risk, so I am extremely grateful for the financial flexibility that my scholarships have given me as I embark on this uncertain yet rewarding journey…Coming to Pepperdine has allowed me to continue my interests in conducting, viola performance, and nonprofit management that I otherwise would not have been able to pursue."

After graduation, Sun will pursue a Master of Music in Viola Performance at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University on an Eckstein Scholarship. He would also like to further his career as a professional orchestral musician, chamber musician, teacher, and conductor. 

"I want to mentor and teach young musicians and help them foster a love of music and a sense of community through music-making," he says. "I am excited to see where my career takes me, and I am grateful for the foundation that Pepperdine has provided me."