Susan Newsome
Resume
Clarinetist Sue Newsome embraces all elements of the music sphere with enthusiasm. Her performance career ranges from popular musicals such as Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon to classical chamber performances with Musica Viva and the vibrant Windbags Quintet and orchestral appearances with the Australian World Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Sue is passionate about performing contemporary classical music and is associated with ensembles such as Clogs, the Seymour Group, Sydney Alpha Ensemble, Aark New Music Ensemble and TouchBass electro-acoustic duo. Her solo and chamber recitals have been important elements of festivals and conferences, including the 2011 Australian Clarinet and Saxophone Festival, the 2005 World Bass Clarinet Convention, the 2002 Australasian Clarinet and Saxophone Conference and the 2008 Sydney Festival (where she appeared with the New York based indie-rock band, The National).
Sue has recorded premiere performances for the Australian Broadcasting Commission and Belgian Radio and can be heard on numerous recordings, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony No.10 by Mahler and Eclairs sur l’Eau-dela by Messian, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra’s The Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev, Sydney Alpha Ensemble’s Silbury Air, the Seymour Ensemble’s House Songs, Anthology of Australian Music on Disc and the Netherlands-based Duo Contemporain’s Made in Leiden. She also features on The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, the most recent album of the renowned New York contemporary chamber ensemble, Clogs.
A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where she studied clarinet with Gabor Reeves, Sue was the recipient of an Australia Council International study grant, which took her to Rotterdam Conservatorium for postgraduate bass clarinet study (Uitvoerend Musicus) with Professor Henri Bok.
Sue is in strong demand as a bass clarinet specialist and regularly collaborates with leading composers on new works for premiere performances. As a dedicated teacher, the vast scope of her performance career brings a rich palette to her students. She has lectured and delivered masterclasses in Australia and the Netherlands and has taught clarinet for the Newcastle Conservatorium and the University of New South Wales.