Biography

Sam Broverman is a Winnipeg-born, Toronto based jazz singer and songwriter. He has performed in venues across Canada, the US, Europe  and Asia. He began his professional singing career in Winnipeg as a teenager, appearing in theatre and cabaret productions and also on the nationally televised shows “Hymn Sing” and “The Doug Crosley Show”. He performs regularly in jazz venues around Toronto, including the Old Mill, the Jazz Bistro, Lula Lounge and The Rex.

Sam has PhD in mathematics from the University of Manitoba. He supported his mathematical studies by working as a professional singer throughout his university years. After graduating, he moved to Toronto, where he was a professor of actuarial mathematics at U of Toronto until 2022. He joined the Juno award winning and Grammy nominated Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in the 1982-83 season and continues to sing with the choir.

In 2012 Sam created the popular cabaret show “A Jewish Boy’s Christmas”, which he has since performed to sold out audiences every December at The Jazz Bistro and also, more recently, at The Old Mill. In November, 2018 Sam released his “Jewish Boy’s Christmas” album, which includes songs from that show. For number of years he performed regularly in the Summer Entertainment Series at Winnipeg’s Lyric Theatre.

In 2008 he recorded a five song EP, “Five Standards” and in the spring of 2011 he released his first full jazz album, “Dream Maker, Heartbreaker: Sam Broverman sings Johnny Mercer”. Sam’s second jazz album, “Leftover Dreams”, was released in the fall of 2013. It is a collection of the songs of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen on the occasion of their 100th birthday year. In 2016 he released a six-song EP titled “Feelings of Affection”.

In 2013 he appeared on the TVO show The Agenda, hosted by Steve Paikin, where he talked about and sang songs of Johnny Mercer. One of Sam’s favorite activities is songwriting, particularly parody and novelty songs. He has had the opportunity to perform some of his math-related parody songs for several math research conferences. In the summer of 2015 he was the local organizer for a conference in actuarial mathematics attended by about 250 people. Sam wrote several parody songs for that conference and recorded an album of eight songs that conference participants received.

Sam’s most recent album, “Memories of You”, released in 2024 consists of (almost all) original songs written by him as well as several songs written in collaboration with Juno award winning guitarist Tony Quarrington, and one song written with legendary jazz composer and pianist Gene DiNovi.

Visit the “Music” link at the top of the page for information about those albums.