Sam Ross Quartet

About:  

Sam Ross is a young musician in the Iowa City area currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance and Minor in Business Administration at the University of Iowa. He has been involved in music and has played the saxophone for over 10 years. During the first half of those years, he spent time studying under saxophonist Debbie Yarrow and later with multi-instrumentalist Suzanne Smith. While in high school, Sam made it into the Southeast Iowa Bandmasters Association (SEIBA) competition in both his sophomore and junior years and in his senior year made first chair tenor in the SEIBA jazz band as well as Allstate band. In 2024, Sam performed at the 2024 JEN Conference in New Orleans, LA. Earlier in 2025, Sam Ross was accepted into the live competition of the esteemed North American Saxophone Alliance regional competition for jazz saxophone in South Dakota. His primary instructor and mentor is Dr. Damani Phillips, jazz saxophonist and head of the jazz department at the University of Iowa. During his time as a musician, Sam has performed with many professional musicians such as world-renowned pianist Benny Green, pianists Steve Shanley and William Menefield, trumpeter Curtis Taylor, guitarists Steve Grismore and Craig Erickson, bassists Blake Shaw and Ben Soltau and drummers James Dreier and Jerome Gillespie.

Contact Information:

Summer of the Arts Festivals:  

• 2025 Iowa City Jazz Festival