Suzanne Kosowitz : Associate Artist
Suzanne Kosowitz is an award-winning composer of orchestral,
chamber, theatrical, and film music. Her work has been praised
for its "vibrant rhythms" and "ethereal textures" (David Ludwig,
Juilliard, NY), and is shaped by a broad palette of influences
including her Jewish heritage, jazz, classical, and world music
traditions. She is deeply committed to music's power to bring
people together and frequently collaborates with artists across
diverse cultural and musical practices.
Based in Perth/Boorloo, Suzanne's music has been performed at
leading international festivals including the Mostly Modern
Festival (USA), Atlantic Music Festival (USA), and the World
Saxophone Congress (Scotland).
In 2019, Suzanne was commissioned for the WE ARE HERE! Upstanders
Project to arrange the Partisan Song, a Yiddish resistance
anthem, in four languages: Hebrew, Yiddish, Noongar, and English.
The Noongar translation was provided by Jesse J. Fleay, and the
work was performed by the Ellenbrook Secondary College Choir
across a range of community and educational events throughout
WA.
Suzanne completed her Honours in Composition at WAAPA in 2022,
where she was awarded the WAAPA Symphony Orchestra Composition
Award for her orchestral work Jacob's Ladder. The piece was
performed at Government House and conducted by Jessica
Gethin.
Suzanne has also ventured into electroacoustic music through a
long-term collaboration with Petros Vouris. In 2022, the duo
premiered their first collaborative work, Tetrakosmon (Four
Worlds), to a sold-out audience. Scored for six percussionists,
live electronics, and a 14.2 spatial speaker array, the work was
performed by Defying Gravity at the Enright Studio, WAAPA.
In 2024, Suzanne was selected as Composer-in-Residence for the
Prelude Program at Gallop House, supported by the Peggy
Glanville-Hicks Composers Trust. During the residency, she
composed Elokai Netzor for the 77th Cantors Assembly Convention
in Minneapolis, attending the premiere with support from the WA
Arts Short Notice Activity Program grant, made possible by the
Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries
(DLGSC).
She also composed Dance Again for her ensemble Kol Nafshi (My
Soul's Voice), which was nominated for the 2025 Western
Australian Music (WAM) Song of the Year Awards in both the Jazz
and Global categories. Her orchestral version of Dance Again was
later selected for Australian Music Centre's Momentum Plus
program, and recorded by a professional orchestra at Trackdown
Studios, Sydney (NSW). It was conducted by Joanna Drimatis and
produced by Jessica Wells.
Biography provided by the composer