Susan Powell is a bassist with over 40 years of experience in teaching and performing. Her love for the bass began at the age of nine in the public schools. She graduated from the Juilliard School with a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Music Performance. She was also awarded the Frederick Zimmermann Memorial Scholarship award while there. Her major teachers included Fred Zimmermann and Homer Mensch. She studied the Suzuki teaching method for bass with Virginia Dixon at the University of Wisconsin.
Powell has performed with many orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, as Principal Bassist, for over 20 years. Others include the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Bridgeport Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Orchestra New England, and the Lake George Opera Festival. Currently, she substitutes with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and performs in other local groups.
Susan joined the Hartt Community Division faculty in 2007 and enjoys teaching students from beginner to college levels. All ages are welcome to learn with the Suzuki or traditional methods of teaching. She also teaches at the Loomis Chaffee school. Before moving to Connecticut, she taught at Vassar and Bard Colleges in New York, SUNY in New Paltz, and at the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina during the summers. She is an energetic and committed teacher who also loves coaching the Hartt Community Division Bass Ensemble, which is open to any bassist wanting to perform with others who love the beautiful sounds of the bass.
I am passionate about my students. My teaching philosophy is centered on fostering a love for playing the bass and providing a solid foundation of technique to ensure lifelong learning. I believe in gently leading a child at her own pace and not pushing to achieve; doing her personal best. I believe in creating a safe, positive, caring, and fun learning environment, sparking enthusiasm for learning and promoting a love for playing music on the bass. I hope that my students can find some gentleness and beauty in music to help them in uncertain times.