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Sunday, January 11, 2026
— a “hybrid” event —
Sam Post
and
Carlos César Rodriguez
Piano
One, Two, Three and Four Hands
Carlos Cesar Rodriguez and Sam Post will play a recital of back and forth improvisations, springing from their imaginations and audience feedback. Sam has been studying improvisation under Carlos for years and you’ll catch a glimpse of their chemistry together at the piano. They’ll conclude the program with a theme and variations ending together with four hands. All of it unplanned!
BIOGRAPHY
Sam Post is a versatile pianist-composer who has written for the San Francisco Symphony and Washington Performing Arts, recorded his own piano solo albums, and co-founded a chamber music ensemble dedicated to performing new works alongside lesser-known classics. The Washington Post has praised his abilities at the piano (“confident, sensitive…a pianist with drive and intelligence”), the Bay Area Reporter lauded his chamber symphony (“Post has created a breathtaking musical joy ride”), and luminaries such as Renée Fleming have commended his overall musicianship (“incredibly gifted”).
In 2016 Sam subbed as an accompanist to Yo-Yo Ma and Renee Fleming at the Kennedy Center. After hearing Sam play one of his compositions in rehearsal, Ma promptly recommended him to Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony for a string quartet commission on Kazakh folk themes by late dombra player Karshyga Akhmedyarov, whose daughter Raushan plays in the symphony. After the premiere of the resulting “Sketches from Kazakhstan,” the Symphony commissioned him to turn it into a chamber symphony for their SoundBox concert series in December 2017. The Baltimore Chamber Orchestra gave the East Coast premiere in February 2022.
Sam is the only five-time prizewinner of the Fidelio International Composition Competition for piano and won two consecutive “New Rag” prizes at the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing contest in 2021 and 2022. He has received commissions from Washington Performing Arts, Levine Music, and the Palisades Virtuosi, is a five-time resident at the Avaloch Farms Music Institute, and has appeared on WETA’s “Front Row Washington” five times playing his own compositions. He has composed hundreds of pieces for solo piano, including dozens for one-hand piano. More recently he re-wrote the entire Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 in his “Syncopated Bach” style (the Well-“Tampered” Clavier); the recording is due out in February 2025 on Acis Records.
In 2016 Sam co-founded Kassia Music and has written and performed dozens of new pieces with the group from duos to sextets. The group is currently in its sixth season as the ensemble-in-residence at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Bethesda, MD. Sam also collaborates extensively with pianists Ralitza Patcheva and Carlos Cesar Rodriguez. He is on the piano and composition faculty at Levine Music.
Acclaimed by the Washington Post as a “virtuoso…. powerful …masterful… pianist…as compelling to watch as he is to hear…”, Carlos César Rodríguez is a musician of great brilliance and versatility. He has gained recognition as a virtuoso pianist who not only generates excitement in the Hispanic and Spanish repertoire but also displays an extraordinary flair for Mozart, the Romantics and the Avant- garde scores. He has recorded for Omicron and Brioso labels and has won the highest critical acclaim for his CD of Spanish music, España en el corazón, distributed by Brioso Recordings. At home on early instruments as well, he has enjoyed entrée to the Smithsonian Institution’s rare collection, Mr. Rodríguez was chosen by the Smithsonian to perform during the 300 th year celebration of the
Piano by the museum. He was also invited to participate in the 150 th anniversary celebration of the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Rodríguez has won acclaim as music director of Mozart operas and
Zarzuelas (Spanish operas), and as a composer, arranger, and improviser of ballets, Spanish dance scores, and Latin-Jazz/Pop compositions.
As concert-pianist Carlos César Rodríguez made his recital debut in his native Venezuela at age 5 and made his orchestral debut as soloist at age 11. Soon after he arrived in the United States to continue his music studies, Mr. Rodríguez was a finalist in the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Competition. At age 21 he made his Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall debut. As concert-artist he has toured Europe and performed concerti and solo recitals throughout the Americas. Venues in which Mr. Rodríguez has performed include the John F. Kennedy Center; the White House; and the Corcoran Gallery, and National Gallery of Arts in Washington, DC; Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Americas Society, 92 nd Y in New York; and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
As chamber music artist Mr. Rodríguez has been guest artist with the Garth Newell Chamber Music Festival and is a frequent guest artist of the National Chamber Ensemble. As collaborative artist he has worked with Denyce Graves, Jessye Norman and Plácido Domingo.
As conductor, Carlos César Rodríguez has performed throughout the Americas. In 2005 he was chosen as award recipient of the prestigious Georg Solti Foundation US fellowship for outstanding young conductors. With the encouragement and collaboration of Maestro Plácido Domingo Mr. Rodríguez became founder and coordinator of the Zarzuela Program (Spanish Operetta) for the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program with Washington National Opera in 2002. In addition he continues to be sought after as music director/conductor of Zarzuela Productions and of Spanish operas in the USA and the Americas.
Mr. Rodríguez earned his Bachelor’s degree with Clifton Matthews (Mr. Rodriguez’ mentor) from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, his Master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music with Joseph Kalichstein, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree, conferred summa cum laude, with Thomas Schumacher at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Mr. Rodríguez is the Founding Artistic Director of RÓMEZ3arts (building community and inter-cultural awareness though music to Engage, Enrich and Empower ) that developed inter-cultural exchanges in Cuba and Costa Rica between 2016 and the present. He toured as Pianist in Poland, Italy, NYC, and Montreal, performing the music of Chopin, with The Isadora Duncan International Institute. He continues to be Music Director for WORD Dance Theatre, appeared with them at the Kennedy Center’s REACH in 2020 In MOVE! for the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage and will appear with them again March 10, 2023 on the Intersections Festival in a new Realization of MOVE! He is a member of Levine Music in Washington, DC.
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