Tehachapi Symphony bids goodbye to Samuel Torres

Jill Laine-Wylie.

From left to right: Gayel Pitchford (Samuel's Cello teacher), Samuel Torres and Samuel's mother, Timoree Torres.

The Tehachapi Symphony bids a fond farewell to Cellist Samuel Torres, who is leaving this week to attend Coast Guard Boot Camp in New Jersey. The Coast Guard is very selective and only takes the finest recruits into their ranks. Samuel definitely fits that definition.

Samuel has played the Cello since he was 9 years old. He played in the Tehachapi Strings Orchestra and then moved up to the Tehachapi Symphony. Members of the audience often remarked on his beautiful curly hair and the big smile he always had when he was playing in the Symphony concerts.

Samuel graduated from Tehachapi High School in 2024. He was a good student and he ran on the cross-country track team. Most recently he worked in Bear Valley Springs as a lifeguard. He is also a member of the local Church of the Latter Day Saints and occasionally played his Cello at the church. He was a Cello student of Gayel Pitchford and he performed in numerous recitals she had. He was also a talented Cellist Fiddler and performed in Tehachapi's Fiddlin' Down the Tracks Contest each year, where he always won awards for his performances. In 2023, he won the Howdy Forrester Scholarship ($1,000 and a plaque) sponsored by District 3 of the California State Old Time Fiddlers Association and Bob Forrester.

Samuel will be missed by the Symphony and all the audiences who have seen him play. We wish him Fair Winds and Following Seas!