Born in Los Angeles, violinist/violist/composer Samantha Gillogly began her musical training at age six on the island of Martha's Vineyard. Fluent in an extensive list of standard classical repertoire, from Adams to Zelenka, she is also an avid fan and performer of traditional and crossover music employing such styles as Celtic, Bluegrass, Gypsy and Scandinavian fiddle, as well as jazz and improvisation. As a soloist she has appeared on NBC-TV's Chronicle news magazine; performed for President William and Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton; and concertized in numerous recitals, competitions and private functions locally and nationally. Since March of 2007, she has performed in chamber works throughout Massachusetts with the Chamber Music Foundtion of New England. Samantha is also the current principal violist of the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston.

Previously, she held a chair in the New England Conservatory's premiere youth orchestra, the Youth Philharmonic in Boston (under the direction of Maestro Benjamin Zander), as well as their highly select chamber orchestra. She performed as a member of the chamber orchestra at Carnegie Hall on the televised version of National Public Radio's "From the Top".

A recipient of scholarships from the Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society, she was also designated by the Cape Symphony's concertmaster Penelope Wayne-Shapiro and Maestro Royston Nash as one of the South Shore's five violin "Rising Young Stars." She has won contests for fiddle-style playing and has performed as a two-time classical finalist in the Bacardi-Fallon Scholarship Competition.

Over the past 13 years her ensemble performances have included the New England Conservatory's Youth Symphony, under the direction of Aaron Kula in Boston and on tour in Spain, and later as principal second violin with director Steven Karidoyanes, NEC's Senior Baroque Chamber Orchestra as concertmaster and soloist (directed by Aldo Abreu), 1st violin in the Pioneer Valley Symphony (Paul Phillips, conductor), the Valley Light Opera Company (1st violin), the Boston Children's Chorus (2nd violin), the Auburn Choir (Concertmaster) Monson Choir (Soloist) , the Cape and Islands Youth Symphony (1st violin), the Martha's Vineyard Sinfonietta (2nd violin) and most notably as assistant principal 2nd in the Martha's Vineyard Festival Orchestra with members of the Boston Symphony, Pops, and Ballet, directed by Chris Allen.

Taught in a variety of classical disciplines, her teachers have included Diane Kraichnan, Rebecca Barca-Tinus, and Russian National prizewinner Lilia Muchnik of the New England Conservatory. Jazz violin virtuoso David Eure (also on NEC's faculty) has had the most significant impact on her commitment and passion for alternative styles of music. Since 2004, she has been a private classical student of Concertmaster Malcolm Lowe of the Boston Symphony. She has been awarded the merit "North American World Scholarship" from Berklee College of Music, where she is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Performance studies.
When not practicing, performing, or composing, Samantha's off hours are spent writing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and experimenting in painting, drawing and calligraphy. She is a published writer in multiple formats and contributes regularly to The Green Man Review, an online arts and culture magazine. Her favorite culinary pursuit is brewing her infamous triple-espresso coffee, known to those who've dared taste it as "Viola Varnish".