Susa, Conrad
Susa, Conrad
Susa, Conrad, American composer; b. Springdale, Pa., April 26, 1935. He studied theory with Lopatnikoff, musicology with Dorian, counterpoint with Leich, flute with Goldberg, and cello with Eisner at the Carnegie Inst. of Technology in Pittsburgh (B.F.A., 1957); completed his training in composition with Bergsma and Persichetti at the Juilliard School of Music in N.Y. (M.S., 1961). In 1959 he became composer-in-residence at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where he was active for over 30 years; also was music director of the APA-Phoenix Repertory Co. in N.Y. (1961-68) and the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Conn. (1969-71); also was dramaturge at the Eugene O’Neill Center in Conn, (from 1986).
Works
dramatic: Opera: Transformations (Minn. Opera, May 5, 1973); Black River (Minn. Opera, Nov. 1, 1975); The Love of Don Perlimplin (1983); Dangerous Liaisons (San Francisco, Sept. 10, 1994). Other Dramatic: Incidental music; television scores. OTHER: A Sonnet Voyage, sym. (1963); chamber music; numerous choral works, including Dawn Greeting (1976), The Chanticleer’s Carol (1982), and Earth Song (1988); keyboard pieces.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire