Samuel Nordlund serves on the faculty at Samford University, where he teaches cello and is the cellist in the Samford Quartet. He frequently performs with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and String Theory Birmingham, and has been a member of the Huntsville Symphony (AL), Kalamazoo Symphony (MI), Illinois Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago and other orchestras. Samuel is a Past-President of the Alabama Orchestra Association, and teaches cello at the Samford Academy of the Arts. He serves on the Artistic Advisory Committee at STEP (Suzuki) Birmingham, where he teaches cello and directs the youth orchestra and adult strings chamber ensemble. He earned his DMA from The University of Alabama, and the MM from Northwestern University. Samuel and his violinist wife, Caroline, started the Encore Strings Birmingham Summer Academy in 2018, and have both previously taught at the Lutheran Summer Music Festival.