Violinist Susan Paik joined the Colorado Symphony in the 2016/17 season. Prior to moving to Denver, she served as co-concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and was selected as a Citizen Musician Fellow by Yo-Yo Ma and The Institute of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Active and experienced as a recitalist, chamber musician, and educator, Susan has performed as soloist with the Juilliard Theater Orchestra and appeared in performances with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, in the Chicago Symphony’s MusicNOW series, at Englewood Arts (CO), at the Indiana University Summer Festival, and in faculty recitals at Indiana University and Roosevelt University. Susan earned performance degrees from Seoul National University in South Korea, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Indiana University. She holds her Master’s degree from The Juilliard School and completed her Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University in 2016. Her major teachers include Kwang-Koon Kim, Chongsuk Li, Hyo Kang, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Mauricio Fuks.

Teddy Niedermaier is a versatile composer, pianist, and educator whose compositions focus on dramatic continuity and narrative intensity. He has received commissions from the New York Classical Players, New Juilliard Ensemble, Indiana University New Music Ensemble, Sejong Cultural Society of Chicago, and Hidden Valley Music Seminars, as well as from several other organizations and individual musicians. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Indiana University, Teddy’s principal composition teachers include John Corigliano, Samuel Adler, Claude Baker, David Dzubay, and Alex Lubet. He also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and currently works as a consultant in the higher education finance sector. As a former faculty member at Roosevelt University and Oberlin Conservatory, Teddy provided instruction in music theory and music composition. His collaboration with flute icon Jeanne Baxtresser, Orchestral Excerpts for Flute Volume 2, was published by Theodore Presser Co. in 2019.

A note from the composer, Teddy Niedermaier: These three operatic fantasies were composed in 2022-2024 as a way to bring this beloved music from the grandeur of the opera stage to the more intimate and accessible setting of the chamber hall. As violin and piano duos, the fantasies retell the operas in an abbreviated version, covering all of the key characters, musical themes, moods, and dramatic events in a continuous narrative. Among orchestral instruments, the violin is uniquely suited to express music originally written for the human voice. With soaring melodies and captivating harmonies, these operatic fantasies are intended to delight all listeners, regardless of familiarity with the opera repertoire.