Susan French began playing the violin at the age of 9 in East Amherst, New York. She currently holds tenured positions with the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Symphony. In addition to her orchestral responsibilities, Susan travelled to New York City in 2008 to perform “White Christmas” on Broadway at the Marriott Marquis Theatre, and later the 2009 revival of “West Side Story” at the Palace Theatre.
She has also played for the Broadway tour of “The Producers” in Albuquerque, and for the 2008 premiere of the “new” Gershwin musical, “An American in Paris”, at the Alley Theatre in Houston.
A violist as well as violinist, Susan has played with the Symphony Orchestras of Syracuse, Albany, Princeton, Binghamton, and Waterbury, along with Opera New Jersey, DiCapo Opera in New York City, Albany Pro-Musica, Lancaster Festival, and New Hampshire Music Festival. She recently performed several sonatas for violin and piano with collaborative artist Cullan Bryant on the Millenium Strings series in
Gilbertsville, NY.
Active in the world of opera, Ms. French is a tenured member of the Sarasota and Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestras, performing several operas each year. Since 2004, Susan has been performing innovative, challenging orchestral works by living composers with the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in Santa Cruz, California, under the
direction of Maestra Marin Alsop.
Interested in music as a healing art as a complement to her performing life, Susan became a graduate of the Music for Healing and Transition Program in February of 2009. Now a Certified Music Practitioner qualified to work with the critically ill or dying,
she plays violin for patients in the hospice setting. Susan holds Bachelorʼs and Masterʼs degrees in Violin Performance, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Womenʼs Studies and Psychology from the University of Michigan. Her principal teachers include Burton Kaplan, Stephen Shipps, Tatiana Vorobieva, LeRoy Fenstermacher, and Thomas Halpin.