Described as "star quality" by the Boston Globe, clarinetist SUSAN WARNER is a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra. She has also performed with other worldclass ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her position at the operahouse, Susan is the principal clarinetist of Concertante di Chicago. She was formerly principal of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and e-flat clarinetist of the Rochester Philharmonic. You have probably already heard the sometimes-jazzy tones of Susan's clarinet on many nationally broadcast television commercials for beverages cooling in your fridge or cleaning products under your sink.
Susan has performed at the acclaimed music festivals of Schleswig-Holstein, Heidelberg Castle, Grand Teton, and Aspen. Invited to participate in the Tanglewood Music Center for two years, Susan was twice awarded with special honors--the Gino B. Cioffi prize, given to the most outstanding woodwind player, and the C.D. Jackson Award for outstanding instrumentalist.
Through the community relations department of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Susan designed a series of arts-integrated workshops that were credited with making a meaningful and lasting impact on hundreds of inner-city school children. While pursuing her master's degree at the Eastman School of Music, she was a founding faculty member of the New Horizons Band--an award-winning program for senior citizen beginning instrumentalists. Susan has been a faculty member at Wheaton College, the Eastman School, Ithaca College, and the University of Rochester.
