About: Suzanne Kosowitz

 Suzanne Kosowitz is an award winning composer of orchestral, chamber, theatrical and film music.  Born and raised in Perth, she completed her studies in Composition and Music Technology at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2011.  Her compositions are noted for their “vibrant rhythms” and “ethereal textures” (David Ludwig, Curtis Institute of Music, USA).  Her works have been performed at the Mostly Modern Festival (USA), the Atlantic Music Festival (USA) the Gondwana National Choral School (NSW), as well as by leading local institutions such as West Australian Symphony Orchestra's Education Chamber Orchestra and West Australian Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.

Her awards include: the Performing Arts WA Award for Best Music – Musical Direction for Multiverse Theory In D, the WAAPA Composition and Music Technologies Stravinsky Prize for best new work Dance in Defiance and the Perth International Film Festival – Best Film and Audience Choice award for Marigold.  She has received scholarships from: Mostly Modern Festival (USA), the Atlantic Music Festival (USA), the Gondwana National Choral School (NSW) and dual recipient of the Bayswater Music Scholarship.

Many of her works are drawn from her Jewish roots, which she combines with other musical influences such as jazz, classical and world music. She is deeply passionate about music’s power to bring people together and often collaborates with other artists from diverse backgrounds.  In 2019 Suzanne was commissioned as part of the WE ARE HERE! Upstanders Project to arrange the Partisan Song, a Yiddish resistance anthem, in four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, Noongar (Indigenous language of the Perth region) and English.

In 2015, Suzanne started working as a Music Director for theatre shows, a role she instantly came to love and flourish in. She went on to be nominated for Best Music Director at the Finley Awards 2016 for Footloose, and won Best Music (2015) for Multiverse Theory in D. She is now working on devising the script to her first play.

Suzanne brings these diverse experiences to her Modern Klezmer Ensemble Kol Nafshi (My Soul’s Voice), a Perth-based group that formed in 2015. Kol Nafshi comprises of students from UWA and WAAPA who have a mutual love for the tender melodies and fiery rhythms of Klezmer and World Music. They take this raw and passionate sound palette into their original arrangements of songs from classical, jazz and pop repertoire.

Her generous spirit also extends to teaching music to students of all ages. Suzanne thrives on kindling that spark in students to encourage and nurture a passion for music. She currently teaches piano, guitar, bass, music theory and appreciation as well as composition.

Suzanne is also a passionate collaborator and thoroughly enjoys working with others to realise their visions through music. 

For more information on composition, arranging or education, contact Suzanne.