Student Composer Showcase: Susie Francy

GIV Winter Weekend Writing & Song graduate Susie Francy is featured in VPR’s Student Composer Showcase. She studies music at Leland & Gray High School with long-time Arts Institute faculty memberRon Kelley. Listen to Susie’s VPR interview and her original piece, “Apollo’s Medley,” here.

Susie Francy is a junior at Leland and Gray and February’s Student Composer Showcase. Her composition, called “Apollo’s Medley,” is about the transition from day to night.

“During the day, all the evils and miseries of mankind happen, and all that is musically minor occurs,” Susie describes. “As time passes, however, the sun slowly starts to sink into the mountains. This sunset is majestic and regal, only able to be performed by the equally majestic Apollo, God of the sun. Suddenly, all sunlight is gone. The stars reveal themselves, setting the stage for all that is peaceful and fantastical to take place. Finally, we end with a suggestion of sunrise, the glorious awakening. The stars have fallen asleep, but the sun has not quite awakened yet … one last moment of pure glory.”

Susie says she got interested in music when she received a toy keyboard at the age of seven. “I just really enjoyed it. Once I started playing music more, it just became my biggest passion,” says Susie. She plays clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, ukulele, guitar, piano, trumpet and french horn.

She started composing in middle school as an assignment for her school band. “From there, I’ve just been exploring music composition and started arranging stuff on the radio. I made this one really big arrangement for a big concert band and it spiraled from there,” she says.