Chris Lam Sam

Chris Lam Sam is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading musical entertainers and educators for young audiences. A former primary teacher, he co-founded the nationally touring children’s group The Funky Monkeys in 2003, performing to more than 1.7 million people and releasing four albums.

An award-winning author and songwriter, Chris’s picture book Inspector Brunswick: Case of the Missing Eyebrow received a Storylines Notable Book Award, while his music has been recognised with multiple NZ On Air awards and a Tūī award nomination.

Passionate about making the arts accessible to all children, Chris has co-founded two music charities and has presented more than a thousand performances in early childhood centres and over 800 schools across New Zealand. Since 2023, Chris has been the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s full-time Music Education Animateur, inspiring audiences of all ages to build lifelong connections with orchestral music.