Yair Samet

Who is Yair Samet?

Yair Samet is an Israeli conductor, composer, and pianist.

Samet was appointed first associate conductor of the San Jose Symphony Orchestra in 1994. In addition, he was nominated Music Director and Conductor of the San Jose Youth Symphony, with which he has toured Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Japan, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, Poland, Chile, Argentina and Italy.

Mr. Samet has conducted the famed Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra on tour in Germany, the Saarländisches Staatsorchester in Saarbrücken, Germany, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in China, and the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra in Bosnia. In addition, he conducted the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Glinka Capella at Finland’s Tampere International Music Festival. In Israel he conducted the Haifa Symphony, the Rishon Le-Zion Symphony Orchestra, and the Israeli Sinfonietta in Beer Sheva.

In 2008 Maestro Samet made his debut with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, conducting a program dedicated to composer Miklós Rózsa.

Mr. Samet also serves on the music faculty of the University of California Santa Cruz as a regular guest conductor, leading the UCSC Symphony Orchestra.