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 is known for her innovative work with orchestras and musicians worldwide, including collaborations with her son, Jacob Collier. [1] In addition to performing, she gives masterclasses at leading institutions, hosts the Suzie Explores podcast, and curates the Suzie Explores Creativity Retreats. Collier was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2021.

Contents

Early life and education

Collier was born in London to professional violinists Derek Collier and Lila Wong. [2] [3] She gave her first public performance as a violinist at the age of three. [4] At 18, she received the Sisselle Wray scholarship [5] 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. [6]

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. [7] Many of her students have since pursued professional careers in music including Thomas Gould, [8] Mayah Kadish [9] and Francesca Barritt. [10] In recognition of her contribution to the music profession, she was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) in 2021. [11]

Additionally, she has given various 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), [12] Grace Farms, [13] University of Michigan [14] and others. [15]

Conductor

Collier started conducting in 1987 at The Latymer School in London. [16] From 1988 to 2024, she conducted the Senior Strings Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department. [17]

She has collaborated with various ensembles and artists, including conducting the recording sessions for Jacob Collier's Djesse Vol. 4 with the Metropole Orkest [18] in Amsterdam and the orchestral version of Stormzy's Firebabe at Abbey Road Studios. [19] In 2023, she was a guest conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra for Quincy Jones' 90th Birthday Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl. [20]

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. [21] More performances followed in 2025 with the Philly Pops, [22] the Nashville Symphony, [23] the Orquesta Filamónia de Gran Canaria [24] and the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra [25] featuring Take 6, Chris Thile and Jacob Collier. Collier also conducted the first ever Jacob Collier Audience Orchestra at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, in a concert featuring Jacob Collier and Bobby McFerrin. [26]

Violinist

Collier has performed internationally as a violinist, collaborating with Jacob Collier at venues including the Hollywood Bowl, [27] the Royal Albert Hall, [28] the Sydney Opera House and the O2 in London. [29] She was a feature soloist in Cecilia McDowall's The Girl from Aleppo [30] at the Barbican Centre, and the concertmaster accompanying the Jason Max Ferdinand Singers' performance at the 2023 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference. [31] Collier was a surprise guest on the Jools Holland tour at the Royal Albert Hall, [32] and also on Lawrence's set at Ravinia Festival in 2023, where she featured on their song The Weather. [33]

She is a frequent guest at her son's select concerts, performing duets with him such as Where Is Love? in Toronto in 2022, [34] Isn't She Lovely in Highland Park, Illinois in 2023 [35] or God Only Knows in New York in 2024 [36] among others. Suzie also featured in Jacob's concert at London's O2 Arena in December 2024, playing What A Wonderful World with him. [29]

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). [37]

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 in-person retreats, a digital masterclass series on Patreon, and her podcast, [38] which has featured guests such as the late Quincy Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Nicola Benedetti, Chris Thile, TwoSet Violin and Steve Vai.

Awards

She was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) in 2021. [11]

References

  1. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (28 January 2025). "Behind the Scenes of Jacob Collier's Wide Web of Collaborators". Billboard . Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  2. ↑ King, Jason (11 July 2016). "With 'In My Room,' Jazz Phenom Jacob Collier is Bringing Jubilation Back". NPR.
  3. ↑ "Lunchtime concert at Frinton". Clacton and Frinton Gazette. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Suzie Collier is the Head of Haileybury's Strings department". Haileybury. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  5. ↑ 1983 July, List Of Prizes, Scholarships And Other Awards Royal Academy of Music. July 1983.
  6. ↑ 2001 Junior Academy Prospectus Royal Academy of Music. 2001.
  7. ↑ 1992 Junior Academy Prospectus Royal Academy of Music. 1992.
  8. ↑ Sinfonia, Britten. "Jacob Collier & Chris Thile with Britten Sinfonia". Britten Sinfonia. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "Mayah Kadish - Musica Antica Magnano" (in French). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  10. ↑ Pianist, The Cross-Eyed (28 October 2014). "Meet the Artist…… Francesca Barritt, violinist". The Cross-Eyed Pianist. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Honours". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  12. ↑ awilds (18 February 2022). "Freeing Yourself to Free the Music". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "The Power of Music with Suzie Collier | A Conversation and Performance". Grace Farms. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "19 October 2025 - Suzie Collier Master Class: How Curious Are You?". University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Our Tutors". The Benedetti Foundation. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  16. ↑ "Finchley Community Magazine May/June 2021 Issue 7 by Finchley Community Magazine - Issuu". issuu.com. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  17. ↑ "Jacob Collier's Technicolor World". downbeat.com. 2 October 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  18. ↑ Sinfonia, Britten. "Suzie Collier". Britten Sinfonia. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  19. ↑ Stormzy (13 December 2022). STORMZY - FIREBABE - ORCHESTRAL VERSION (Amazon Original) [Behind The Scenes] . Retrieved 11 February 2025– via YouTube.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ Scotney, Sebastian (25 January 2025). "Jacob Collier, Chris Thile, Britten Sinfonia/Suzie Collier - UK Jazz News" . Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  22. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ Amphitheater, Ascend. "Jacob Collier, Chris Thile & The Nashville Symphony Tickets | 14th October". Ascend Amphitheater. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  24. ↑ "TAKE 6 & ORQUESTA FILARMÓNICA DE GRAN CANARIA". Festival Internacional de Jazz (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  25. ↑ "Jacob Collier & Chris Thile (October Pops)". Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  26. ↑ "San Francisco Chronicle".
  27. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ ljazzn (20 July 2018). "REVIEW: Prom 7: Jacob Collier and Friends". London Jazz News. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  29. 1 2 Scotney, Sebastian (10 December 2024). "Jacob Collier - UK Jazz News" . Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  30. ↑ "Ein Deutsches Requiem and The Girl from Aleppo | Barbican". www.barbican.org.uk. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  31. ↑ Jason Max Ferdinand Singers (28 February 2023). MISTY: Jason Max Ferdinand Singers @ ACDA 2023 . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  32. ↑ "Search Results". catalogue.royalalberthall.com. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  33. ↑ Suzie Collier (2 December 2023). The Weather - Lawrence ft. Suzie Collier (Live) . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  34. ↑ Jacob Collier (2 June 2022). Jacob Collier & @SuzieCollier - Where Is Love (Live in Canada) . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  35. ↑ Jacob and Suzie Collier Duet . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via www.youtube.com.
  36. ↑ Tania Barricklo (29 April 2024). Jacob Collier at King Theater in Brooklyn sings 'God Only Knows' . Retrieved 22 October 2025– via YouTube.
  37. ↑ Notes For Our World, 14 July 2022, retrieved 5 August 2025
  38. ↑ "Suzie Explores Podcast Transcripts". podcasts.musixmatch.com. Retrieved 3 June 2025.

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