Samantha Bennett

Hometown:  Ames, Iowa

Year joined the BPO:  2010

Hobbies other than music:  Ever since I was 4 years old, I have danced ballet and Irish step dance. While I no longer devote a large part of my life to dance, I still take adult classes at the Boston Ballet School. Dance is just another way to tell a story- with your body instead of with your instrument.

Earliest musical memory:  I vividly remember the day I asked my parents if I could play the violin. I was five years old and my family and I were watching the spring parade in my hometown. One of the parade floats was sponsored by the local Suzuki Association and had about 20 kids riding on it and playing violin together. Everyone looked like they were having so much fun and I immediately asked if I could do exactly what those kids were doing. My parents took me to observe a lesson, and I started taking lessons myself shortly afterward.

What's on your iPod? I have everything and anything on my iPod. Some of my staples are the Mahler symphonies with Michael Tilson Thomas, Elgar’s Violin concerto with Yehudi Menuhin, the Goldberg Variations with Glenn Gould, Evan Shinners and the Suits, Brian Eno, Rufus Wainwright, Belle and Sebastian, Air, and for a seasonal favorite, The Glenn Miller Orchestra’s ‘In the Nutcracker Mood’.

Other than performing music, I've always thought it would be fun to be a: Growing up, I always loved school, and especially math and science. I would love to work in genetics or microbiology. I would also love to be a performer in another genre of the arts, such as an artist, dancer, or theatre actress.

Who is one person from musical history (living or deceased) you'd like to have dinner with, and why?
I would absolutely say Tchaikovsky. While all his music is fantastic, I especially identify with his ballet scores. His music brings back so many fond memories and it is incredibly evocative of certain atmospheres and stories.