Sam Wilson

Sam Wilson is a guitarist-composer whose practice focuses on creating instrumental music for improvisers. Her current artistic muse is wild spaces and site-specific responses, evident by her latest release Wintertides (April 2024), featuring drummer Jen Yakamovich and bassist Geordie Hart. Written in the winter of 2022 on both the east (Scotsburn, NS) and west coast (Lena Residency, Galiano Island BC), it’s inspired by contrasting landscapes and the collaboration of bi-coastal communities.

Her albums Into a Heart Pt. II, New Doors (Jackson/Wilson Duo), and Wintertides won Music Nova Scotia’s “Jazz Recording of the Year” in 2022, 2023, and 2025 respectively. All of her releases have been nominated for the East Coast Music Awards. In 2021 Sam won the Paul Cram Creation award and composed her first piece for orchestra, ‘Recover-we’, which was performed by Symphony Nova Scotia at the 2023 Open Waters Festival.

She performs regularly with collaborator Andrew Jackson in the JacksonWilson Duo and with her trio featuring rotating musicians including Caito Macdonald, Kyle Tully, Gabriella Ciurcovich, Jen Yakamovich and Geordie Hart. Sam has worked with Phillip Greenlief, Andrew Mackelvie, Ellen Gibling, Matt Gallant, Nicholas D’amato, Nicola Miller, Music Declares Emergency, Rooted Dance Projects and Upstream Music Association. She also supports artists as a guitarist such as Laura Roy, Nicole Ariana and Kaia Kater. Sam was raised in Ontario and lives in Halifax. More info: https://samwilsonmusiq.com