Mariah Sam is a graduate student at Brigham Young University, where she also graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance in 2022.

She began her piano studies at the age of four. Mariah has earned nearly twenty 1st place awards in the state of Utah. Her dedication has led to highly acclaimed performances as a soloist with the Utah Symphony and BYU Symphony Orchestra, and at Salt Lake’s Assembly and Abravanel Halls. Most recently, Mariah was the winner of Utah’s highly competitive MTNA piano competition.

In addition to performing, Mariah is passionate about community engagement. She was recently awarded a $4,400 grant to create and manage the first BYU state-wide piano competition where winners performed and were interviewed on a local classical radio station. She has also been selected as a presenter in conferences internationally and nationally at the Graduate Society of the University of Calgary Conference and at the National Collegiate Pedagogy Conference in Indiana.

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Mariah is a passionate teacher, and loves seeing her students perform and succeed. One of her students was recently one of just nine pianists accepted into the competitive piano performance program at Brigham Young University. She loves encouraging her students to perform and has prepared multiple students to perform solo recitals. Though Mariah has taught music lessons since the age of nine, for the past few years, she has built a studio of twenty students. Since 2020, she has taught well over 1,000 zoom lessons as an assistant teacher to Dr. Vivian Chang Freiheit, with students located nationally and internationally. Mariah loves spreading the love of music to others in an optimistic and energetic way. She is a trusted teacher and teaches the children of two piano professors at her university.

Mariah is blessed to be guided by many wonderful mentors and teachers. Mariah’s mother was her first teacher for many years. She is grateful to have continued her studies with Jacqueline King, Dr. Irene Peery-Fox, and Dr. Scott Holden. Mariah has performed in master classes with Marina Lomazov, Vladimir Kulenovic, Anderson and Roe, and others. She currently studies with Dr. Stephen Beus.