Allegro

‘Why we joined the union’

Volume 116, No. 6June, 2016

Susanne Chen

Susanne ChenI joined Local 802 after spending years working at a day job in the I.T. field. I wanted to rebuild my musical career as quickly as possible, so joining an organization composed of so many top-notch musicians gives me the motivation to keep up my chops. My musical goal in New York City is to establish myself as a freelance orchestral and chamber music performer. I understand that as a bassoonist and contrabassoonist, I will be mostly confined to the classical genre. However, I am by no means a “bassoon geek.” My taste in music is very eclectic. Besides classical, I enjoy listening to genres ranging from heavy metal to techno, and I’m even learning to play the electric bass. I hope to widen my horizon by collaborating with musicians who have backgrounds and playing styles different than my own. Recently, a fellow musician contracted me for a gig playing a cameo role in the Amazon TV series “Mozart in the Jungle.”