Sam Gowen
HORN
BEHIND THE HORN
DR. SAM GOWEN is currently the Artist in Residence, Horn for Valdosta State University, as well as an online instructor for Music Appreciation for South Dakota State University.
She completed her Doctorate of Music at Florida State University, where she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She received her Master's in Horn Performance at Michigan State University and her Bachelor's in Music Education and Horn Performance from The University of Georgia.
Dr. Gowen regularly performs with various orchestras across the Southeast such as Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and Panama City Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Her first Teaching Artist appointment was with the MSU Education Engagement Residency which gave her the opportunity to work with local elementary classrooms. During this experience, her brass trio developed a curriculum that explored music history, critical listening, and composition. Since that time, she served as a Teaching Artist and horn clinician for a variety of institutions.
As a researcher, Dr. Gowen focuses on performance design and accessibility in classical music experiences in an effort to bridge the gap between classical music and modern audiences. She has presented at international and regional conferences on this area of research. In this vein, she created an applied lessons curriculum that presents a method of recital preparation and design in which performers consider the use of extramusical tools to increase audience engagement, leading to a more meaningful experience.
Gowen's solo and chamber performances focus on new and inventive ways to challenge the structure of typical classical performance experiences. Sam is a firm believer in empowering audiences, and she believes the best way to do this is to create a welcoming space free from expectations and connect with audiences on as many levels as possible.
Ultimately she hopes to spend her career teaching at the collegiate level, creating performance experiences that make meaningful and impactful connections with the community, and empowering her students and colleagues to create performances that are memorable and engaging.
When Sam is not practicing, researching, or teaching, she is most likely traveling, hiking, visiting local breweries with friends, or relaxing with her partner Brad, and Siamese cats, Batman and Dante.