Suzie Collier

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Suzie Collier
Suzie Collier portrait.jpg
Background information
Born (1964-06-15) 15 June 1964 (age 61)
Instrument(s)violin, conducting, teaching
Years active1967-present
Website https://www.suziecollier.com/

Suzie (Susan) Collier is a British conductor, violinist, and music educator. She has held teaching positions and conducted ensembles at several institutions in the United Kingdom and internationally. In 2021, she was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

Contents

Collier has three children, the eldest of whom is musician Jacob Collier [1] as well as two daughters. [2]

Early life and education

Collier was born in London to professional violinists Derek Collier and Leila Wong. [3] [4] She gave her first public performance as a violinist at the age of three. [5] At 18, she received the Sisselle Wray scholarship [6] to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where she was awarded an Associate of the Royal College of Music (ARCM) Violin Performers' Diploma, a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) Violin Teachers' Diploma, and a Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music (GRSM) degree, all with Honours. [7]

Career

Teaching and mentorship

Collier began her teaching career in 1986 as a violin professor at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. [8] Many of her students have since pursued professional careers in music including Thomas Gould, [9] Mayah Kadish [10] and Francesca Barritt. [11] In recognition of her contribution to the music profession, she was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) in 2021. [12]

She has also held teaching positions at The Latymer School, Mill Hill County High School, Westminster School, [13] and Haileybury. Her work has included ensemble coaching, directing orchestras, and classroom teaching. Her work at Mill Hill County High School included annual collaboration concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. [14]

Additionally, she has given several masterclasses at institutions including the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the University of Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston (MIT), [15] Grace Farms [16] and others. [17]

Conductor

Collier started conducting in 1987 at The Latymer School in London. [18] From 1988 to 2024, she led the Senior Strings Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department. [19]

She has collaborated with several ensembles and artists, including conducting the recording sessions for Jacob Collier's Djesse Vol. 4 album in Amsterdam with the Metropole Orkest [20] and the orchestral version of Stormzy's Firebabe at Abbey Road Studios. [21] In 2023, she was a guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Quincy Jones' 90th Birthday Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl. [22]

In January 2025, she conducted the Britten Sinfonia at the Bristol Beacon and the London Barbican. The programme featured soloists Jacob Collier, Chris Thile and Thomas Gould, as well as orchestral works including Anna Meredith’s Nautilus, Danzon no.2 by Arturo Marquez and the premiere of Jacob Collier's first piece for orchestra - Hush Scuffle. [23] More performances followed in 2025 with the Philly Pops, [24] the Nashville Symphony [25] and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. [26]

Violinist

Collier has performed internationally as a violinist, appearing as a soloist at venues such as the Barbican Centre in Cecilia McDowall's The Girl from Aleppo [27] or collaborating with Jacob Collier at the Hollywood Bowl [28] or the Royal Albert Hall [29] on occasion of her son's Prom concert in 2018. She was concertmaster of the accompanying orchestra during the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers' performance at the 2023 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference. [30] Collier was a surprise guest during Lawrence's set at Ravinia Festival in 2023, where she played solo on their song The Weather. [31]

She is a frequent guest at her son's select concerts, performing duets with him such as Where Is Love? in Toronto in 2022, [32] Isn't She Lovely in Highland Park, Illinois in 2023 [33] or God Only Knows in New York in 2024 [34] among others. Suzie also featured in Jacob's concert at London's O2 Arena in December 2024, playing What A Wonderful World with him. [35]

As a recording artist, she appears as a soloist on Once You from Djesse Vol. 1 and on Gareth Malone’s Notes for Our World (2022). [36]

Podcast and digital masterclass

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Collier launched Suzie Explores, a digital and in-person initiative focused on creativity and musical exploration. The project includes her podcast, [37] which has featured guests such as the late Quincy Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Nicola Benedetti, Chris Thile and Steve Vai; a digital masterclass series on Patreon, where she discusses a wide range of subject together with he patron from creating through performance to the business of music; as well as in-person retreats for musicians and non-musicians alike, hosted in different cities on both sides of the Atlantic. [38]

Awards

Collier was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in 2001. [39] She was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) in 2021. [12]

References

  1. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (28 January 2025). "Behind the Scenes of Jacob Collier's Wide Web of Collaborators". Billboard . Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  2. ↑ Benjamin (3 May 2022). Jacob Collier: In the Room Where It Happens . Retrieved 10 August 2025– via YouTube.
  3. ↑ King, Jason (11 July 2016). "With 'In My Room,' Jazz Phenom Jacob Collier is Bringing Jubilation Back". NPR.
  4. ↑ "Lunchtime concert at Frinton". Clacton and Frinton Gazette. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "Suzie Collier is the Head of Haileybury's Strings department". Haileybury. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  6. ↑ 1983 July, List Of Prizes, Scholarships And Other Awards Royal Academy of Music. July 1983.
  7. ↑ 2001 Junior Academy Prospectus Royal Academy of Music. 2001.
  8. ↑ 1992 Junior Academy Prospectus Royal Academy of Music. 1992.
  9. ↑ Sinfonia, Britten. "Jacob Collier & Chris Thile with Britten Sinfonia". Britten Sinfonia. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  10. ↑ "Mayah Kadish - Musica Antica Magnano" (in French). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  11. ↑ Pianist, The Cross-Eyed (28 October 2014). "Meet the Artist…… Francesca Barritt, violinist". The Cross-Eyed Pianist. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Honours". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "The Elizabethan 2019 - Westminster School Annual by Westminster School - Issuu". issuu.com. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  14. ↑ "Mill Hill County High School Arts Education Partnership Will Go On Thanks To Poly UK". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  15. ↑ awilds (18 February 2022). "Freeing Yourself to Free the Music". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  16. ↑ "The Power of Music with Suzie Collier | A Conversation and Performance". Grace Farms. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  17. ↑ "Our Tutors". The Benedetti Foundation. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  18. ↑ "Finchley Community Magazine May/June 2021 Issue 7 by Finchley Community Magazine - Issuu". issuu.com. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  19. ↑ "Jacob Collier's Technicolor World". downbeat.com. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  20. ↑ Sinfonia, Britten. "Suzie Collier". Britten Sinfonia. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  21. ↑ Stormzy (13 December 2022). STORMZY - FIREBABE - ORCHESTRAL VERSION (Amazon Original) [Behind The Scenes] . Retrieved 11 February 2025– via YouTube.
  22. ↑ Yanow, Scott (31 July 2023). "Music and Concert Review: QUINCY JONES' 90TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION (Hollywood Bowl)". Stage and Cinema. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  23. ↑ Scotney, Sebastian (25 January 2025). "Jacob Collier, Chris Thile, Britten Sinfonia/Suzie Collier - UK Jazz News" . Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "Jacob Collier, the multi-instrumentalist with millions of fans, is coming to the Mann with his favorite conductor, his mother. | Highmark Mann". highmarkmann.org. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  25. ↑ Amphitheater, Ascend. "Jacob Collier, Chris Thile & The Nashville Symphony Tickets | 14th October". Ascend Amphitheater. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  26. ↑ "Jacob Collier & Chris Thile (October Pops)". Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  27. ↑ "Ein Deutsches Requiem and The Girl from Aleppo | Barbican". www.barbican.org.uk. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  28. ↑ Mitchell, Gail (30 July 2023). "Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson & Samara Joy Celebrate Quincy Jones' 90th Birthday at the Hollywood Bowl". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  29. ↑ ljazzn (20 July 2018). "REVIEW: Prom 7: Jacob Collier and Friends". London Jazz News. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  30. ↑ Jason Max Ferdinand Singers (28 February 2023). MISTY: Jason Max Ferdinand Singers @ ACDA 2023 . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  31. ↑ Suzie Collier (2 December 2023). The Weather - Lawrence ft. Suzie Collier (Live) . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  32. ↑ Jacob Collier (2 June 2022). Jacob Collier & @SuzieCollier - Where Is Love (Live in Canada) . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  33. ↑ Jacob and Suzie Collier Duet . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via www.youtube.com.
  34. ↑ Tania Barricklo (29 April 2024). Jacob Collier at King Theater in Brooklyn sings 'God Only Knows' . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  35. ↑ Scotney, Sebastian (10 December 2024). "Jacob Collier - UK Jazz News" . Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  36. ↑ Notes For Our World, 14 July 2022, retrieved 5 August 2025
  37. ↑ "Suzie Explores Podcast Transcripts". podcasts.musixmatch.com. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  38. ↑ "19 October 2025 - Suzie Collier Master Class: How Curious Are You?". University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  39. ↑ 2003 Junior Academy Prospectus Royal Academy of Music. 2003.

Further reading

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