Sammuel Holmberg, Organ

Samuel Holmberg is the Basilica Organist and Director of Cathedral Concerts at The Basilica of Saint Mary (Co-Cathedral) in downtown Minneapolis, America’s first Basilica. He directs their three music series: the Missa Choralis Series, featuring regional and touring high school, collegiate, and professional choral and instrumental ensembles; the Summer Soloist Series, featuring summertime orchestral soloists from the Minnesota Orchestra and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Cathedral Concert Series, featuring world-class local, national and international artists that promote the artistic, educational and cultural enrichment of the region. Samuel also directs Chorus Cantorum, The Basilica’s robust cantor and psalmist ministry, and plans The Basilica’s weddings. Prior to his appointment, he held positions at St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette, Michigan and at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota. He serves on the executive board of the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (TCAGO). 

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Luther College, Samuel holds degrees in organ performance, literature, and sacred music. His principal teachers include David Higgs, William Porter, Dr. Gregory Peterson and Dr. Lynn Trapp. He studied improvisation and repertoire with visiting Professors Michel Bouvard, regarded as one of the most engaging French interpreters, and Edoardo Bellotti, a leading expert of Renaissance and Baroque keyboard repertory and improvisation. He is a former co-chair of the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI), a global center for organ performance, research, building and preservation. Further study was in a program for select undergraduate students at the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music. 

Samuel has performed throughout the United States and Europe on landmark venues. He has recorded for Minnesota Public Radio in solo and ensemble roles and has been featured on Pipedreams, a radio program supporting the art in sacred and concert venues. He has given the world premiere of several newly commissioned works, including works by Philip Moore, David Briggs, and Stephen Paulus. He holds memberships with the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians, and the North American Branch of the Herbert Howells Society in the UK.