Sam Girling

Sam Girling grew up in the UK and studied percussion and timpani at Trinity College of Music, London. He completed his Masters degree in musicology at Royal Holloway (University of London) and then moved to New Zealand in early 2014 to commence PhD studies at the University of Auckland, specialising in developments in percussion writing during the early nineteenth century. More recent research interests include Parisian string quartets in the aftermath of the French Revolution and chamber music arrangements of early nineteenth-century operas. 

In 2021–22 Sam completed a DAAD-funded research fellowship at the Beethoven-Haus Archive & Museum in Bonn, Germany. He has published several book chapters and articles on his work as well as numerous edited volumes of early nineteenth-century chamber music. He has given pre-concert talks for the APO, presented at a number of international music conferences, and in 2021 gave an interview for BBC Radio 3 on the music of John Abraham Fisher. He regularly teaches music history and theory lectures at the University of Auckland’s School of Music.

As a percussionist, Sam has performed with the Auckland Philharmonia, Manukau Symphony Orchestra, English National Ballet, and NZ Opera, amongst others. He also teaches drum kit at Rosmini College and percussion at Baradene College, and since early 2023 has been the Production & Marketing Manager for Auckland Choral.