Samantha Flores is a dynamic performer-educator, arts advocate, and community organizer dedicated to teaching artistry, community development, and using music as a restorative tool for social change. Since 2021, she has served as Program Manager for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids east-side hub at Highlandtown Elementary/Middle School #237.

Samantha began her music education career in Tijuana, Mexico, teaching in El Sistema–inspired programs. She has since worked with music-for-social-change initiatives including OrchKids, Opus Community Project, Núcleos de Baja California, and the Boys and Girls Club of México. As a workshop leader, she has facilitated composition projects in collaboration with OrchKids and El Sistema USA, Project Music, and the King School.

As a performer, Samantha is passionate about building community through cross-cultural musical experiences. She has partnered with The Concert Truck to bring chamber music into public schools and served as the University of Maryland’s Artist in Residence at the Collington Retirement Community (2017–2018), where her work was recognized in The New York Times. She also performs regularly throughout the DMV area as the cellist and singer-songwriter of the folk trio The Bayberries and as a member of the alternative collective Ari and the Buffalo Kings.

Beyond her musical work, Samantha is deeply involved in community work. She is a community librarian at the Station North Tool Library, a volunteer at the Maryland SPCA, an alumna of the Baltimore Planning Academy, and currently part of the 5th Global Cohort of the Neighborhood Village Project.

Samantha holds a master’s degree in Cello Performance from the University of Maryland, a master’s in Suzuki Pedagogy and Chamber Music from East Carolina University, and a bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance from Western Illinois University.