Samuel Soria has been the organist of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels since its dedication in 2002. Mr. Soria is a graduate of Valparaiso University and Northwestern University. In addition to academic study with Philip Gehring and Wolfgang Rubsam, he has coached privately with Paul Manz and Cherry Rhodes. Soria was a prizewinner in the 1993 J.S. Bach International Competition at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. In 1996 he tied for third place in the NCOI, New York City, and was a semi-finalist in the 1992 Atlanta NCOI. He was also invited to Knokke-Heist, Belgium as a participant in the European Competition in Organ Improvisation in 1995. Soria has recorded two CDs for Delos International Records, “Premier Organ Recording” and “Organ Voices”, both of which have received national critical acclaim. A third CD produced by Omni Recording, “Samuel Soria: Cathedral Organist”, has just been released and features Leo Sowerby’s Symphony in G Major.
In July of 2004, he was a featured artist for the AGO National Convention in Los Angeles. In July of 2011, he was the organist for a religious service which featured improvisations at St. Mary’s Cathedral during the Region IX Convention, San Francisco.