William Susman


William Joseph Susman is an American composer of concert and film music and a pianist. He has written orchestral and chamber music as well as documentary film scores.

Music

Susman's music is inspired by Afro-Cuban montuño, medieval hocket and isorhythm. In addition to performances of his music in the U.S. and Europe, his compositions have been broadcast, for example his piano concerto on WQXR, in New Sounds on WNYC, Echoes on NPR and Concertzender.
He founded the record label Belarca Records to distribute his material.

Influences

Susman's earliest orchestral works were influenced by Iannis Xenakis and György Ligeti. He is interested in algorithmic composition, following his composition teacher Herbert Brun at the University of Illinois. His microtonal compositions were influenced by Ben Johnston. He also studied piano with Pauline Lindsey, Steve Behr and Alan Swain.

Awards

Orchestra
Chamber ensemble
Wind quintet
Brass quintet
Vocal/Choral
Percussion
String quartet
Piano Trio
Clouds and Flames
Piano
Solo and duo
Electronic
Film music