James Samuel “Sam” Pilafian (Beta Omicron) 1949-2019

In 1967, Sam won the concerto competition at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, becoming only the second tubist in over fifty years to do so.  He subsequently won fellowships at Dartmouth College and the Tanglewood Music Center.  While at Tanglewood he was invited by Leonard Bernstein to perform on-stage in the world premiere of Bernstein’s MASS, which opened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Most recently, he served as Professor of Music at Arizona State University, having previously served for twenty years on the faculties of Boston University and their summer Tanglewood Institute.  Sam has won the Walter Naumberg Chamber Music Award, the Harvard Music Association Prize, the University of Miami’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Brevard Music Center Distinguished Alumni Award, the Robert Trotter Annual Visiting Professorship at the University of Oregon, the annual Outstanding Teacher Award for the College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University, a 2006 Spirit of Disney Award for creativity and design in a Drum Corps International Gold Medal winning performance, and a 2009 Emmy Award for best instructional/educational video from the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences. Sam also previously served as president and chairman of the board of the International Tuba Euphonium Association.