Samuel Clay Birmaher

Samuel Clay Birmaher is an American musician whose many professional roles include composer, engraver, arranger, liner note writer, and keyboard performer. His own compositions often experiment with graphic notation, as in Ribbon (2023), whose grid-like score gives rise to performances with an austere, meditative quality. He collaborates frequently with flutist Claire Chase, the JACK Quartet, and composer Terry Riley, a partnership that culminated in the 2026 Sono Luminus album The Holy Liftoff, featuring his realization of Riley's graphic score. Contributions to the Feldman discography include liner notes and a realization of Intersection I for Morton Feldman: Orchestra (2011) and for Morton Feldman: Complete Music for Cello & Piano (2024). For the 2026 box set Morton Feldman: Complete Works for Multiple Pianos, performers used Birmaher's edition of Feldman's previously unpublished Trio for Two Pianos and Cello.