Biography

Susanna first took interest in music at a young age and developed a particular taste for playing the flute aged 8. Growing up in Bedfordshire, Susanna thrived in the local county youth orchestras and won many classes at the Bedfordshire Music Festival, including being the Rose Bowl Prize Winner at a celebratory Gala Concert in 2012. The following year she was offered a scholarship to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she studied under Sarah Newbold and Jonathan Burgess. Susanna graduated with First Class Honours in July 2017 and is now thrilled to be studying a Masters in Orchestral Artistry at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, learning with Philippa Davies, Ian Clarke and Christopher Green.

Susanna loved playing in a variety of ensembles during her studies, particularly enjoying her role as principal flute in both Guildhall and Royal Welsh College Symphony Orchestras. Susanna has also been privileged to sit in with the London Symphony Orchestra and Welsh National Opera, both of which are provided as placement opportunities in her training.

Alongside her orchestral playing, Susanna is a keen chamber musician and has been part of an established Wind Quintet in Cardiff called Zephyrus Winds. Together they have performed publicly in a variety of locations, including Quiberon, Brittany, many concerts around Wales including Hereford Cathedral and more recently, in Yorkshire as part of a Chamber Music Outreach Course, providing workshops at ten different primary schools.

Susanna is enthusiastic about Outreach work and has been a volunteer with the BBC Ten Pieces ‘Try an Instrument’ scheme alongside BBC NOW and has regularly participated in LSO Discovery projects.  Other performance opportunities include being a finalist in the 2016 McGrenery Chamber Music Prize as part of a flute duo and performing as a soloist with the Bedford Sinfonia playing J.S.Bach’s Orchestral Suite in B Minor. In November, Susanna made her concerto debut with the London Gala Orchestra at St Martin-in-the-Fields where she performed Vivaldi’s Flute Concerto: ‘La Notte’. Whilst Susanna enjoys all varieties of performing, she hopes to become a professional orchestral musician and looks forward to developing her skills even further through her time at Guildhall where she is generously supported by The Worshipful Company of Musicians, Help Musicians UK and the Guildhall School.

Musicians’ Company Award: GSMD Orchestral Artistry Scholar 2017

Page Updated: 2017