Samuel Rhodes, born on February 13, 1941, in New York, was an American violist, composer, and music educator. He studied viola under Sydney Beck and Walter Trampler. After earning a Bachelor's at Queens College and a Master's at Princeton University, studying composition with Roger Sessions and Earl Kim, he joined the Galimir String Quartet in 1961, performing until 1969. In 1969, he began teaching at the Juilliard School and joined the Juilliard String Quartet, touring internationally. His recordings for CBS Masterworks, Sony Classical, Wergo, and CRI earned him three Grammy Awards. He appeared as a soloist at the 2001 Viola Space festival in Tokyo and premiered Elliott Carter’s Figment IV for solo viola in 2008. He composed a string quintet that has been performed by several prominent string quartets. The work was later recorded by the Pro Arte Quartet, with him appearing as a guest performer on the recording.
