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William Susman is an American composer known for his distinctive voice in contemporary classical music. He has an extensive catalogue of works that includes orchestral, chamber and vocal music as well as numerous film scores. As director of the ensemble OCTET and Belarca Records, he has had a significant influence on the music scene.
Susman's music is characterised by influences from jazz, Afro-Cuban music and other non-Western traditions. He utilises a diverse range of techniques, from medieval isorhythm and hocket to Afro-Cuban rhythms. His works are known for their energetic grooves and hypnotic, modal-based harmonies. His important piano series ‘Quiet Rhythms’ combines the harmonies of jazz, the rhythm of Latin American music and the circling melodies of minimalism. These pieces of music reflect a quiet introspection that is both dynamic and meditative.
Susman has received critical acclaim: The New York Times describes his music as ‘vibrant, turbulent and richly textured’, Gramophone calls it ‘texturally shimmering and harmonically ravishing’, and Fanfare praises it as ‘crystal clear and gloriously lyrical’. With his innovative and diverse approach, Susman has developed a unique and memorable musical language that both respects tradition and breaks new ground.
His training as a jazz and classical pianist, combined with academic training in composition, laid the foundation for his development as a composer. Originally rooted in the tradition of mid-century modernism, he began to break away from the expressive and formal limitations of post-war modernism and integrate more diverse elements and influences into his music. This diversity gives his music a uniquely American and individual voice that is both familiar and complex.