Samantha Bennett, violin

Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as a violinist “full of subtlety and poise”, Samantha Bennett is an active and varied performer around the globe. Ms. Bennett joins the Dallas Symphony for their 25/26 Season. She is a violinist in The Dallas Opera Orchestra, having previously served as the Principal Second Violin of the Sarasota Orchestra from 2016-2022. She was a member of the Fort Worth Symphony and The Florida Orchestra. She performs frequently with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and the Boston Symphony. Alongside her husband, percussionist George Nickson, Ms. Bennett is the founder and Co-Artistic Director of ensemblenewSRQ (enSRQ), a new music collective based in Sarasota, FL. As Co-Artistic Director of enSRQ, Ms. Bennett is known for her performances of some of the most challenging contemporary repertoire, and has premiered works by Gunther Schuller, Toshio Hosokawa, Oliver Knussen, John Cage, George Benjamin, Augusta Read Thomas, and Philip Glass. Born in Ames, Iowa, Ms. Bennett completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at the New England Conservatory in Boston studying with Donald Weilerstein and Malcolm Lowe.