As both a composer and a singer, Susan Botti's eclectic background and experiences are reflected in her music. Whether in an
orchestral or chamber setting, theatrical influences play a vital part in her musical expression.
Awarded both a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Frederic A. Juilliard/Walter Damrosch Rome Prize in Music Composition,
Ms. Botti was in residence at the American Academy in Rome during the 2005-2006 season. She was the 3rd Daniel R. Lewis
Young Composer Fellow with the Cleveland Orchestra from 2003-2005. The orchestra premiered her work, Impetuosity
(conducted by Roberto Abbado); and a new work, Translucence, was commissioned and premiered (conducted by music
director, Franz Welser-Möst). Translucence was also performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor, Laura
Jackson.
Botti’s Cosmosis (for wind ensemble, soprano soloist, and women’s voices) was commissioned by a consortium of universities,
and premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2005, with conductor Michael Haithcock leading the University of Michigan wind
ensemble and chorus, and the composer as soloist. A recording of Cosmosis is available from Equilibrium. Another consortium
of university bands (NWECG) has commissioned a new work for wind ensemble from Botti to premiere in the 2010-2011
season.
Her EchoTempo (for Soprano, Percussion & Orchestra), was commissioned and premiered by Maestro Kurt Masur and the
New York Philharmonic (with Botti and Christopher Lamb as soloists). The European premiere of EchoTempo (with the same
soloists under Maestro Gunther Herbig) occurred soon after in the “Music im 21. Jahrhudert” festival in Saarbrücken,
Germany. She also performed this work with Maestro H.K. Gruber and the NPS Radio Orchestra in Utrecht, Holland with
percussionist Peter Prommel. A commission from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for solo violin and chamber orchestra,
Within Darkness, was premiered at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center in 2000, with Martha Caplin as violin soloist.
A CD of Botti’s vocal chamber music, listen, it's snowing, (New World/CRI) features her operatic soliloquy, Telaio: Desdemona
(for soprano, string quartet, harp, piano & percussion). Called "striking emotional music..." (Opera Magazine), this work has
been performed in New York City, Detroit, Santa Fe, Atlanta, and Washington D.C.
A recent chamber music project, Gates of Silence, was a 3-part commission from the Blakemore Trio (violinist, Carolyn Huebl;
cellist, Felix Wang; and pianist, Amy Dorfman) – works for violin & piano; piano trio; and piano trio plus soprano (Botti).
Inspired by Virgil’s Aeneid, this work incorporates poetry by National Book Award finalist, Linda Gregerson. It will premiere
in the 2009-2010 season at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and at Merkin Hall in NYC.
Botti specializes in the performance of contemporary music by composers of diverse styles, including: Gubaidulina, Crumb,
Kurtág, Cage, Chihara, Pintscher, Matheson, and Partch, among others. She was featured as a composer and singer on the
Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella series in a concert honoring Steven Stucky’s 20th anniversary as the LA Phil’s
Composer in Residence. Composer/conductor Tan Dun created several major works highlighting her vocal and theatrical
talents. She premiered his Red Forecast for soprano and orchestra with the BBC Scottish Symphony and performed that work's
U.S. premiere at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra. Tan Dun also wrote the role of "Water" for her in
his internationally renowned opera, Marco Polo (Sony Classical), which she premiered at the Münchener Biennale, and
subsequently performed in Europe and Asia, and at the New York City Opera. She can also be heard as vocal soloist in Tan
Dun’s soundtrack for “The Banquet”.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Botti's early training included studies in music, art and theater. She received her Bachelor of
Music from the Berklee School of Music; and her Masters in Music Composition from the Manhattan School of Music. Her
vocal teachers included Hilda Harris, Drew Minter, Myron McPherson, and Nancy Armstrong. She is the recipient of
numerous grants and awards, including the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters;
and grants from Meet The Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Aaron Copland Fund, The Mary Flagler
Cary Charitable Trust, The NY Foundation for the Arts, The Greenwall Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, ASCAP, and
the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts. Most recently, she was awarded a Lucas Artists’ Residency at the
Montalvo Arts Center in California. She is a member of the Composition faculty at the Manhattan School of Music in NYC