Sam Pilnick is a Chicago based Saxophonist, Multi-Instrumentalist and Music Educator. Sam Pilnick received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Jazz Studies at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam and his Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from Western Michigan University. His teachers were at the Crane School were Christopher Creviston, Robert Young, Bret Zvacek, and Marsha Baxter and studied with Andrew Rathbun, Jeremy Siskind, Scott Cowan, Keith Hall and Edward Simon at Western Michigan University. 

At the Crane School of Music, Sam could be seen performing with many different ensembles including the Crane Jazz Ensemble, Crane Latin Ensemble, Crane Concert Band and Crane New Music Ensemble, as well as various small university & community jazz groups.  At Western Michigan University, Sam’s graduate studies were focused on Jazz Improvisation, Composition, and History. He was a member of the Western Jazz Orchestra and WMU Advanced Jazz Ensemble. Sam was an active composer for the Advanced Jazz Ensemble, writing and arranging music for their 2016 Environment Project, in addition to arranging music for their 2015 concert with Randy Brecker.  At Western Michigan University, Sam also shared the stage with Edward Simon, Miguel Zenon, Lucas Pino, Terell Stafford, Debrah Brown and WMU's Mas Que Nada and Gold Company.

As a Music Educator, Sam is a New York and Illinois State K – 12 Certified music teacher. Sam was the Band Director at Chicago Math and Science Academy in Rogers Park from 2017 - 2020, as well as was a teacher for the People’s Music School and Chicago Public School’s All City Performing Arts Jazz Ensemble. Sam is currently the band and jazz band director at the Maple School in Northbrook, IL. 

As a performer and composer, Sam explores and performs in a variety of styles including jazz, contemporary, electronic, and creative music for a variety of ensembles and solo works. He leads The Sam Pilnick Project, who released three EP’s Skylark (2019), Pure Imagination (2018) and East Coast Transplant (2017). He also leads and composes for his new ensemble Sam Pilnick’s Nonet Project, which is heavily influenced by Sam’s love of big band music, small group improvisations and the desire to explore different timbral experiences, while utilizing traditional jazz instruments. The Nonet Project will be releasing their first album The Adler Suite in the spring of 2021. He is also a freelance musician in Chicago who performs with the Chicago Freedom Ensemble and Devin Fanslow’s Bathawk.