Susan Svrçek was known for her elegant and insightful performances: as noted in the Los Angeles Times, “because she has probed so carefully into, and brought so many facets out of the massive repertory for the solo piano, one comes to her recitals with high expectations, new thrills, rediscovered gems, unknown masterpieces.” Susan loved to tackle extremely challenging pieces, and was known for her performance of Ives’ Concord Sonata. Her devotion to teaching and the love and admiration she had from her students led to several trips to Korea and Japan for master classes. Susan was Chair of the Piano and Chamber Music Departments at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, taught at Scripps College, Claremont Graduate Universities, and California State University Fullerton. She was still teaching remotely through her bout with cancer until just a few weeks before her passing. Susan was survived by her husband of 32 years, the composer Frederick Lesemann, whose music she championed, and who wrote much of his later music for her. Susan was 71. Rick Lesemann passed away in 2023.
Frederick “Rick” Lesemann was a composer and Emeritus Professor of Composition at the USC Thornton School of Music. He was a leader in electronic music and new music in Los Angeles for over 40 years, serving as Chair of the Composition Department and directing the electronic music studio. Lesemann was known for his bookish interests in poetry, art, and medieval history. He grew up in an artistic household in southern California and studied with Schoenberg’s assistant Richard Hoffmann at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio. He then returned to USC to study with Ingolf Dahl.
Lesemann has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and others. His music has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, the Colonial Symphony, the Pasadena Chamber Orchestra, and USC, and is performed nationally and recorded on the Townhall and Crystal labels. In 1994, he received the USC Ramo Music Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Upcoming concerts with for Susan and Rick
for Susan and Rick
All PS artists come together for this moving tribute to founding pianist Susan Svrcek composer Rick …
View Event - for Susan and Rick