Biography

Susanna Hancock is an Asian-American composer whose music explores color, process, and acoustic phenomena. Her music draws from a wide array of influences including minimalism, spectralism, math rock, and electronic mediums.

Susanna’s compositions have been performed by wildUp, JACK Quartet, ZAFA Collective, Metropolis Ensemble, Desdemona Ensemble, ~Nois Saxophone Quartet, and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony, among others. Susanna’s work has been recognized by organizations such as ASCAP, New Music USA, and United States Artists, and has been featured in concerts and festivals across the world including the LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight Festival, Bang on a Can Marathon, and Vox Novus/Composers Voice Concert Series, among others.

Susanna is co-founder and co-artistic director of Terroir New Music, a concert/event series started in 2017 that pairs the music of living composers with local food and drink. Terroir is focused on fostering meaningful collaborations among creatives in an immediate area and is the coalescence of Susanna’s passion for contemporary music and lifetime of experience in the food service industry. The concepts of terroir and community-building are central tenets of all Susanna’s compositional and creative projects.
Susanna holds a Master of Music in Theory & Composition degree from New York University, and Bachelor of Composition and Bassoon Performance degrees from the University of South Florida. Primary teachers have included Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, and Baljinder Sekhon.