Musical Journey

Sam Folio has spent most of his life working in the entertainment business, yet he's hardly a household name. It's not for lack of charm or ability to command center stage—rather, it's because this Incline Village resident has largely been shining the spotlight on others.

For 30 years, Folio worked for the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), the largest entertainment union in the world, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, contracts and movie deals. The soft-spoken West Virginia native originally moved to Tahoe in 1989 as trustee for the union's Reno Local 368.

During the early 1990s, Folio traveled around the country organizing musicians, including three years of "commuting" to Puerto Rico. Another three years was spent working with Emilio Esteban organizing Latino musicians, assisting Arturo Sandoval on music for the Atlanta Summer Olympics, and supporting Tejano musicians' organization efforts in San Antonio. He also produced more than two dozen "Spotlight on Country" shows for television's Family Channel.

Managing things musical was actually a second job for Folio. "I laughingly say I got fired from my other job," he says. Folio, a former professor, has a Master's Degree in Health Education and spent a stint at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. He worked for West Virginia Governor Jay Rockefeller from 1976 to 1984 as director of health promotion and disease prevention and stayed on with Rockefeller's successor for another four years, which included overseeing more than 150 hospitals and nursing homes and running a public psychiatric hospital.

In 1995, Folio became the first fulltime executive director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. He spent six seasons raising the bar for the event, which included the creation of Sand Harbor's state-of-the-art stage. "I was Shakespeare's first Folio, and Shakespeare's last Folio," he quips.

For the past three years Folio has poured his artistic energy into the renovation of 120-year-old Piper's Opera House in Virginia City. "My passion is to get the building stabilized and bring in prominent theater," says Folio. He needs another $4 million to finish restoring the landmark that's part playhouse, part community center. "You can feel the presence of every person who's ever been on stage," he says.

Folio could work just one job for only so long, however. So about two years ago, he signed on as content specialist with MusicGiants, a recently launched Incline Village-based business that offers high-definition music downloads.

All the world's a stage, it seems, for the Folio family: wife Monica taught dance to Mary Lou Retton and Patrick Swayze and has headed the Tahoe Players theater group for over 15 years. Daughter Dianna was a professional dancer and granddaughter Lily last year attended New York's Professional Performing Arts School.

While in college, Folio performed at Bob Eubanks' teen clubs in Los Angeles and traveled with the Dick Clark "Shower of Stars" show, playing drums, keyboards and vocals. Now Folio's life has returned to his musical roots. In July, at the AFM convention, he was elected International Secretary-Treasurer. Folio was surprised at his election, since he did not attend the conference. But he chuckles and says, "The word around the convention was ‘Folio's like a raffle ticket – need not be present to win.'"

–Susan D. Rock