March 2024 Winner: Sam Ferguson

This issue’s featured young artist award winner is Sam Ferguson, a 17-year-old trumpet player from Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada. Sam is currently a senior attending Fort Richmond Collegiate School and is planning on majoring in trumpet performance at a soon-to-be-determined university beginning in fall 2024. At Fort Richmond, Sam performs in the Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Senior Jazz Ensemble under the direction of his band director and mom, Cheryl Ferguson. Sam also performs solo cornet with the Rupertsland Brass Band, a group he has been playing in for six years. For the past two years, he has been performing as principal trumpet with the Winnipeg Youth Orchestra and also performs with the Canadian Mennonite University Concert Band. Other recent successes include earning first place in the 2019 ITG Junior Solo Division competitions, winning the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble Solo Competition in 2022, winning the Youth Orchestra Solo Competition in 2023 and tying for the position of Most Outstanding Musician at the 2023 Winnipeg Music Festival.

Sam has studied trumpet with his father, Darryl Ferguson, since he began playing trumpet at 8-years-old. Additionally, he has taken lessons with Larry Knopp, principal trumpet of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Paul Jeffrey of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In Summer 2023, Sam was a fellow at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artist orchestra in summer 2023 which he found to be a very motivating experience. In particular, Sam is very grateful for the support and encouragement of the trumpet teachers at Tanglewood and the brass players of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Sam’s dream job is to perform full-time in a symphony orchestra and he has greatly enjoyed learning from these orchestral musicians. As his teacher and father, Darryl Ferguson explained, “Sam consistently demonstrates a strong passion for learning the trumpet and regularly seeks out opportunities to study and to grow.” In addition to playing trumpet, Sam loves playing soccer, a sport he has played since he was 5-years-old and he greatly enjoys creative writing. As a music lover, he really enjoys listening to trumpeters such as David Bilger, Terry Everson, Michael Sachs and Phil Smith. As the March 2024 ITG Young Artist Award winner, he will receive a one-year complimentary membership to ITG. Congratulations Sam!