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Conrad Susa Papers
014.019
014.019
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Title: Conrad Susa Papers
Identifier/Call Number: 014.019
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Performance and Design, Performing Arts Library
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
120.0 Linear feet
60 records cartons, 19 flat file boxes
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1959-1990
Date (inclusive): 1935-2013
Abstract: This is the personal collection of Conrad Susa (1935-2013), an American composer. This collection includes a rich history
of Susa's life from his childhood in Springdale, Pennsylvania, to his death in San Franisco, California. Susa was an award
winning composer, serving as the Musical Director for several prominent companies such as the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
His diverse works included chorale compositions, music for live theatrical productions, and four operas. His work "The Dangerous
Liaisons" was commissioned by the San Francisco Opera. Along his active work as a composer, Susa was also a teacher, working
with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for several years until his death. This collection includes correspondence, working
documents, libretti, press clippings, photographic materials, programs, promotional materials, scrapbooks, sheet music, and
transcripts. Also included are reference materials Susa used for his various works, two doctoral theses based off of his works,
and a collection of various writings he collected as part of his work and/or gifts from friends and colleagues.
Creator:
Susa, Conrad
Collection donated by the Susa Family Trust in 2014.
[Folder Title], Conrad Susa Papers, Museum of Performance + Design.
Most of the collection is open to researchers. Exceptions include the Personal Correspondence subseries and the Financial
Documents subseries. Due to highly personal information in these series, access will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Museum of Performance + Design holds property rights. Copyright of all original works by Conrad Susa belongs to the Susa Family
Trust. All other copyright belongs to identified creators.
Conrad Susa was born in Springdale, PA, on April 26, 1935. Introduced to music at an early age, he performed with his local
church, first as a choirboy and then as an organist while at Springdale High School. His music education continued at the
Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University), where he graduated Cum Laude in 1957. Upon completing
his degree, Susa attended on scholarship the Connecticut College Modern Dance Festival, earning a diploma following studies
on composing for dance performances. He also played for festival dance classes at that time. Susa continued his education
at the prestigious Juilliard School under the guidance of William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti. His work as a composer
began in earnest during this time, garnering him awards such as the George Gershwin Memorial Scholarship, two E.J. Benjamin
awards, the Marion Ferschl prize, the Alexander Gretchaninoff First Prize, and a Ford Foundation Fellowship between his enrollment
and completion of his MS degree in 1961. Also in 1961, Susa was chosen as one of ten composers selected by the Ford Foundation
to participate in a festival honoring Igor Stravinsky in Santa Fe, NM. During this time in 1959, Susa also began to work with
the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego as the Composer-in-Residence, a post he held until 1994. Along with the Old Globe Theatre
in San Diego, he worked as the Musical Director for the APA-Phoenix Repertory Theatre Company, New York, NY (1961-1968) and
the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy (1969-1971). Susa also created compositions for theatre, documentary
films, and chorale groups, and television (well over a hundred works). His works have been performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln
Center, the Stratford Shakepeare Festival, the Seattle Repertory Company, the American Conservatory Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre,
the Center Theatre Group, and the Mark Taper Forum, among others.
Alongside his compositions above, Susa composed five operas. His first opera, "Transformations", based on poems by Anne Sexton
(also his most performed opera) was commissioned by the Minnesota Opera in 1973. The Minnesota Opera also commissioned his
next work, "Black River: A Wisconsin Idyll" in 1975 (libretto by Richard Street). In 1984, Susa collaborated with Street for
the San Francisco Opera/PEPSICO Summer Fare joint commission of Frederico Garcia Lorca's "The Love of Don Perlimplin", with
Street adapting his libretto from Lorca's text. In 1994, San Francisco Opera commissioned Susa's "The Dangerous Liaisons"
(libretto by Phillip Littell). The original cast included Thomas Hampson, Frederica von Stade and Renée Fleming and was broadcast
on the PBS program "Great Performances" later that year. The same year, Susa collaborated with Littell to compose "The Wise
Women", a retelling of the story of the Three Wise Men of Bethlehem.
Susa was actively involved in music education. He served as the Resource Personnel and Field Director for the Artists-in-School
Program at Lincoln Center (1967-1972) and the Director of West Coast Services for Young Audiences, Inc. (1974-1979). From
1988, Susa served as Professor of Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a position he would hold until his
death on November 21, 2013.
| 1935 April 26 | Conrad Susa born in Springdale, PA |
| 1953 | Susa graduates from Springdale High School. Student Director, Oboe Player of Marching and Concert Bands, piano player for dance band, pianist for choirs. |
| 1957 | BFA Cum Laude Carnegie Institute of Technology. |
| 1959-1994 | Composer in Residence, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego. |
| 1961 | MS, The Juilliard School of Music. |
| 1968 | Composed music for Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" revival on Broadway |
| 1973 | Composed "Transformations", based on poems by Anne Sexton. This is Susa's most performed work. |
| 1975 | Composed "Black River", libretto by Richard Street. |
| 1977 | Composed music for Shaw's "Caesar and Cleopatra" on Broadway. |
| 1984 | Composed "The Love of Don Perlimplin", libretto by Richard Street. |
| 1988-2013 | Professor of Composition, San Francisco Conservatory of Music. |
| 1994 | Composed "The Dangerous Liaisons", libretto by Philip Littell. |
| Composed "The Wise Women", libretto by Philip Littell. | |
| 2013 November 21 | Susa dies at home, San Francisco, CA |
This is the personal collection of Conrad Susa, an American composer. This collection includes a rich history of Susa's life
from his childhood in Springdale, Pennsylvania, to his death in San Franisco, California. Susa was an award winning composer,
serving as the Musical Director for several prominent companies such as the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. His diverse works
included chorale compositions, music for live theatrical productions, and four operas. His work "The Dangerous Liaisons" was
commissioned by the San Francisco Opera. Along with his active work as a composer, Susa was also a teacher, working with the
San Francisco Conservatory of Music for several years until his death. This collection includes correspondence, working documents,
libretti, press clippings, photographic materials, programs, promotional materials, scrapbooks, sheet music, and transcripts.
Also included are reference materials Susa used for his various works, two doctoral theses based off of his works, and collection
of various writings he collected as part of his work and/or gifts from friends and colleagues. Lastly, this collection includes
eleven boxes of audiovisual materials, including complete recordings of some of Susa's original operas, chorales, and music
composed for theatrical performances at companies such as at the Old Globe Theatre, APA Repertory, and the American Shakespeare
Festival Theatre and Academy.
One of the most signficant aspects of this collection are the working documents and compositions, allowing for insight into
how Susa's work evolved and the wide range of music he arranged and composed. For several prominent works, such as his operas,
various drafts and revisions are included, allowing researchers to see how the works evolved over time. His participation
in various workshops and grants as well as collected magazines and literature also offer a window into modern twentieth century
music evolution.
This collection has been arranged as follows:
Biographical;
Notes and Writings by Susa;
Interviews, Press Clippings and other Mentions;
Correspondence;
Compositions, Manuscript Books, and Collected Sheet Music;
Performance Notes, Scripts, and Working Documents;
Collected Writings and Poems;
Photographic Materials;
Programs;
Audiovisual Materials; and
Artefacts.
- Biographical
- Notes and Writings by Susa
- Interviews, Press Clippings, and Other Mentions
- Correspondence
- Compositions, Manuscripts Books, and Collected Sheet Music
- Performance Notes, Scripts, and Other Working Documents
- Collected Writings and Poems
- Photographic Materials
- Programs
- Audiovisual Materials
- Artefacts
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American Musical Theater
American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy
Moving Image Materials
Music
Music--Manuscripts.
Musicals--United States.
Old Globe Theatre, San Diego
Performing arts--United States.
Photographic Materials
Photographic prints.
Posters.
Programs
Programs (Documents)
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera--History.
Scrapbooks.
Scripts (Documents)
Susa, Conrad
Theater--United States.