DownBeat Magazine, one of the oldest and most respected jazz publications in the country, recently selected Samuel Newsome, associate professor of music, as one of the top players of the year in the soprano saxophone category in the 2020 DownBeat Critics Polls. Newsome, a renowned saxophonist and composer, was also named a nominee for Soprano Saxophonist of the Year by the 2020 Jazz Journalist Association, and he received the 2020 Instant Award in Improved Music. His previous honors include the 2018 New Music USA Grant, the 2018 Alpert/Ragdale Prize in Music Composition, and the 2016 NYFA Fellowship for Music Composition.pital Markets, and he now serves as a vice president at the Ambrus Group.
