Susan Gaylord, Vocalist

A versatile performer and a dedicated teacher, Ms. Gaylord is enjoying a varied and rich musical career. She is equally at home on the operatic, oratorio and symphonic stages as well as in more intimate venues where a pianist or a small ensemble are her musical partners. In addition, Ms. Gaylord has more than 15 years of experience in teaching beginning vocalists.

By humbly following the example of the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Beverly Wolff, her voice teacher and mentor, Ms. Gaylord strives to achieve excellence in both her performing and teaching endeavors.

In demand as a concert artist, Ms. Gaylord performs a stylistically eclectic program of song, selecting from both the classical repertoire as well as the mix of the Broadway and Standard songs that currently make up the “American Songbook”. She blends the velvety sound of her mezzo-soprano with a natural gift for dramatic story-telling to create an entertaining and often moving musical experience that delights her audiences.

Currently living near Princeton, New Jersey, Ms. Gaylord’s passionate commitment to teaching young people continues as she is a vocal instructor at both the Lawrenceville School and The Pennington School and maintains a busy private voice studio.
 
Early in her career, Ms. Gaylord was selected by Metropolitan Opera stars Mignon Dunn and Eleanor Steber to be presented in a showcase concert for the inaugural season of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. She performed selections from the operas that would prove to be mainstays in her future career: Carmen, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Fledermaus, Werther and The Marriage of Figaro. These are among the numerous operas in which she has performed leading roles, both in regional opera houses and in concert. She has appeared as a soloist with numerous symphony orchestras including the Princeton Symphony, the Lakeland Symphony, the Sun Coast Symphony, the Brevard Music Festival Orchestra, the Summit Orchestra and the Lake George Festival Orchestra.

Ms. Gaylord was affiliated with the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center as a performer and as a vocal instructor for over a decade. Along with teaching vocal studies at their annual summer camps, she was instrumental in developing the Center’s very successful opera outreach program called “Operatunity”. This innovative and entertaining program brings classically trained singers and opera education to literally thousands of school children – many of whom have never before been exposed to classical singing. She was a vocal instructor at the Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts and was an adjunct voice faculty member at Florida Southern College.