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SUSAN NIGRO
What could be
more intriguing than the idea of a normal-sized female
musician making a solo career on a huge instrument weighing
15 pounds and containing over 18 feet of tubing?
Contrabassoon crusader Susan Nigro, a native of the south
side of Chicago, has done exactly this - made a name for
herself as one of the world's very few soloists on this
instrument. Not content merely with orchestral freelance
work, the "Contrabassoonist with a Cause" has made it her
mission to bring this little-known but important instrument
the long overdue attention and respect it deserves. Susan's
emphasis is on solo performance with the contrabassoon. Her
innumerable recitals and solo appearances have occurred in
such places as Salzburg, Montevideo, Rome, and throughout
the United States. On many occasions, she has been a
featured artist at the annual conferences of the
International Double Reed Society, and has also played as a
guest artist with the Northern Hills Bassoon Ensemble as
well as with the St. Luke's Bottle Band. Her solo
performances are frequently accompanied by master classes,
lecture-demonstrations, or workshops designed by this
contrabassoon spokesperson to enhance the understanding and
appreciation of the instrument's unique sound and surprising
versatility. In recognition of her status, she was recently
made a "permanent substitute" with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra. Ms. Nigro's quest for contrabassoon solo
literature has led her to commission and perform many new
compositions, and she has premiered more than 2 dozen solo
works for this instrument. Some of these new pieces have
been published, and others are in the publication process.
Susan is also a recording artist, and has 7 CDs currently on
the market:
"The Big Bassoon" (1995),
"Little Tunes for the Big Bassoon" (1997),
"The Two Contras" - in collaboration with retired CSO
contra player Burl Lane (1999),
"The Bass Nightingale" - (2001),
"New Tunes for the Big Bassoon", (2003),
"Italian Tunes for the Big Bassoon" - (2005), and
"Original Tunes for the Big Bassoon" (2008). Clips
from these discs may be heard on the recordings page of
www.bigbassoon.com and excerpts from these CDs have been
aired on WFMT/WDCB/WNUR/WNIB - in Chicago, WNTI - in New
Jersey, and 2MBS-FM - In Australia. Susan was the winner of
a Pro Musicis International Career Development Grant, and a
finalist in the Chicago Park District Talent Search. She
received an honorable mention prize in the Rome Festival
Concerto Competition, a competitive national audition. Her
orchestral experience has included regular subbing with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, previous work with the Saint
Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and
extensive freelancing in the Chicago area. She earned
bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern
University, and an additional graduate degree from Roosevelt
University. Her teachers were Burl Lane, Ferdinand Del
Negro, Willard Elliot, Leonard Sharrow, Sherman Walt, and
Wilbur Simpson. She attended the Tanglewood Music Center for
three summers, where she was awarded the Henry B. Cabot
Prize, and honed her ensemble skills in the Civic Orchestra
of Chicago. In May 2007, the Order Sons of Italy in America,
State of Illinois, bestowed upon Susan their Leonardo da
Vinci Award of Excellence in the field of Performing Arts.
Ms. Nigro has been on the State Artists Rosters of eight
U.S. states including the Illinois Arts Council's Arts Tour
Artists Roster, has appeared as a guest artist at the Rome
Festival in Italy, the Aspekte Festival of Salzburg, and at
the Grand Teton (WY) Music Festival, and also was an
artist-in-residence at the 3rd Annual Contrabassoon Festival
(UT). She is a founding member of the Chicago Bassoon
Quartet, "The 2 Contras" contrabassoon duo, and ContraBand -
probably the world's only contrabassoon octet. The
International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England
named Susan "International Musician of the Year" for 2003.
Her Artist Biography is included in the archives of the
International Music Museum in London, England, she is listed
in the 14th Edition (1994) of International Who's Who in
Music, and she holds memberships in ten high IQ
organizations: The International High IQ Society, Mensa, The
High Potentials Society, The Top One Percent Society, The
Mind Society, Intertel, The Geek Community, The Poetic
Genius Society, Colloquy, and The One-in-a-Thousand Society.
Susan resides with her beloved companions Caesar and Cassius
- 2 Cirneco dogs from Sicily.
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