Susan DeWitt Smith

Department Chair and Associate Professor of Music; Director of Piano

Academic Credentials

DMA 1992 Eastman School of Music, MM 1985 San Francisco Conservatory of Music, BA 1984 Dartmouth College

Professional Experience

A native of Portland, Oregon, pianist Susan DeWitt Smith has an active career as both a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, and on subscription series with the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Palomar Symphony and the Dartmouth Symphony. A co-founder of the Nelson Chamber Music Festival in New Zealand,  Dr. Smith is highly regarded as a chamber musician and has performed at festivals throughout the country, with musicians who include members of the Juilliard, Kronos, and Philadelphia string quartets. She has performed at the Bloch, Cascade Head and the Cascade music festivals in Oregon, as well as the Grand Teton, Hot Springs, and Olympic music festivals. An enthusiastic and committed proponent of music education, she co-founded the innovative and highly successful Music in Context series in 2005. A graduate of Dartmouth College, she earned her MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music. She is a member of Portland’s Third Angle New Music Ensemble, and teaches at Lewis & Clark College. Dr. Smith has recorded extensively on the KOCH International Classics label.