Samantha Frei is a junior percussionist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She studies with Jeremy Branson, Christopher Allen, and Paul Evans. Samantha grew up in New York City, where she attended the Manhattan School of Music pre-college program. She has performed under several notable conductors, including Carl Topilow, Gerard Schwarz, and Christoph Campestrini. Outside of music, Samantha enjoys weight training, running, and spending time with friends.