Susan Hellauer

Susan Hellauer

Susan is now an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music at the Aaron Copland School of Music (Queens College of the City University of New York), where she has taught, among other things, courses in the history medieval and Renaissance music and American popular music. She also directs the Queens College Collegium, once led by the legendary Paul Maynard, and is grooming an enthusiastic new crop of versatile and talented early music players and singers there.

A new venture has recently captured Susan’s imagination: Chant Camp! She is scheduled to teach several of these workshops around the U.S. in the coming year, to amateur and professional singers alike, with an informative, illustrated mini-lectured followed by plenty of singing to “set” the lesson. Her enthusiasm for this project is a continuation of her work on medieval chant, which was and is so much a part of A4’s signature sound. A website is under construction to support Chant Camp, and is expanding to cover the entire world of traditional sacred chant from all cultures. ChantVillage.com will go live on June 1, 2008.

When not engaged with Anonymous 4 or Chant Camp or her teaching duties, Susan plays Baroque guitar, which she discovered while performing with Andrew Lawrence-King's Harp Consort. She sings with A4 colleague Jacqueline Horner in new avant garde dance projects in New York, directed by choreographer extraordinaire Christopher Williams. And she has performed as a vocal soloist with Parthenia, and with the U.S. tour of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music , featuring the renowned Indian karnatic singer Aruna Sairam.

While working on the repertoire that made A4 hits of American Angels and Gloryland, Susan stumbled upon and fell in love with the sound of the clawhammer banjo. She is now an avid disciple of the magical instrument, and has studied with Bruce Molsky, Bob Carlin, Dan Levenson, Ray Alden and has happily wasted precious hours at the Banjo Hangout, when she should have been practicing or cleaning the house.

Susan is also a member of the Early Music America board of directors, which promotes early music performance, and supports the musicians who perform it. Their monthly magazine is a valuable resource for early music performers and fans alike.

A4's effort to get all of its music published and available, digitally and in print is also one of Susan's pet projects. Almost of the material from American Angels and Gloryland is available. Music from our two Hildegard programs will be available for download soon. And the rest will follow. You can find it all at a-cappella.com, and consult our own Publications page for more details.

And, last but definitely not least, Susan is still proud to be a volunteer with the Nyack Community Ambulance Corps in New York, where she has just recertified as an Emergency Medical Technician and ambulance driver. Get involved in your community - volunteer and make a difference!