Ron Samuels recorded music by Bela Kovacs at the center of the Heinz Hall stage to be presented as part of the Symphony on the Air series at 8:30 Monday Through Friday on the Classical QED Morning Show with support from the Spanos Group of Raymond James and the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony. He spoke with Jim Cunningham about Hungarian clarinet tradition and Kovacs compositions.

Ron Samuels was appointed second clarinetist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra by former Music Director Mariss Jansons at the start of the 2001–02 season. He joined the faculty of Duquesne University that same year. Previously, he was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and he served as principal clarinetist of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, guest principal clarinetist with both the Minnesota Orchestra and San Diego Symphony, and guest second clarinetist with the Cleveland Orchestra.

A native of San Francisco, Ron Samuels has enjoyed a richly varied career as a symphonic musician, chamber music and concerto soloist, and as a collegiate professor and master class clinician. He graduated from the University of Southern California where he studied with Mitchell Lurie and where he has frequently returned as a guest lecturer. Lurie had served under Fritz Reiner as clarinet in Pittsburgh and Chicago before his death in 2008.