This is a continuation of my monthly blog posts about living composers. Click here to read about the composer for August.
For September’s composer, I have chosen….Susan Greisdale!.
Background
Susan is a composer, teacher, adjudicator, and clinician. I have been fortunate to meet Susan several times in Ontario. She is friendly and approachable, and I have heard from a former student of hers, that she is a fantastic and inspiring teacher. Susan is a founding member of Red Leaf Pianoworks, a group of Canadian composers who publish their compositions on a regular basis.
Popular Pieces
Many of Susan’s pieces an be found in the RCM syllabus, including her award-winning composition “Arctic Voices” found in the RCM Level 3 Repertoire book:
(the pianist is playing a bit quick here)
As you can see from this sample, Susan uses contemporary devices, and writes music that evokes an emotional response. What this means is that instead of telling you what you should be playing, you have some freedom to express your own emotions into interpreting the score.
Level 6: Lament for the Polar Bear
Level 7: Toques and Parkas
I have taught several of Susan Greisdale’s pieces, and not only are they imaginative and interesting, they are also pedagogical (they teach the student how to do something) pieces.
Hannah's Piano Studio 