Suzie Collier

Susan "Suzie" Collier is a British conductor, violinist, and music educator. She has taught at several institutions in the United Kingdom and internationally. In 2021, she was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

Suzie Collier
Background information
Born	1964 (age 60–61)
Instrument(s)	violin, conducting, teaching
Years active	1967-present
Website	https://www.suziecollier.com/

Collier has three children, musician Jacob Collier^[1] as well as two daughters.^[2]

Early life and education

Susan was born to violinists Derek Collier and Leila Wong.^[3][4] She gave her first public performance as a violinist at the age of three.^[5] Collier studied at the Royal Academy of Music with a Sisselle Wray scholarship,^[6] earning the ARCM, LRAM, and GRSM qualifications.^[7]

Career

Teaching and mentorship

Collier began teaching in 1986 at the Junior Academy of the Royal Academy of Music.^[8] She has also held teaching positions at The Latymer School, Mill Hill County High School, Westminster School,^[9] and Haileybury. Her work has included ensemble coaching, directing orchestras, and classroom teaching. Her work at Mill Hill County High School included annual collaboration concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra^[10]. She has delivered several masterclasses at the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, University of Cambridge, MIT^[11], Grace Farms^[12] and others.^[13]

Conductor

Collier began conducting in 1987 at The Latymer School^[14]. From 1988 to 2024, she led the Senior Strings Chamber Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department.^[15]

She has collaborated with several ensembles, including conducting the recording sessions for Jacob Collier's Djesse Vol. 4 album in Amsterdam with the Metropole Orkest^[16] and the ocherstral version of Stormzy's Firebabe at Abbey Road Studios^[17]. In 2023, she was a guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for Quincy Jones' 90th Birthday Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl^[18].

In January 2025, she conducted the Britten Sinfonia at the Bristol Beacon and the London Barbican. The programme featured soloists Jacob Collier, Chris Thile and Thomas Gould, as well as orchestral works including Anna Meredith’s Nautilus, Danzon no.2 by Arturo Marquez and the premiere of Jacob Collier’s first piece for orchestra - Hush Scuffle.^[19]

Violinist

Collier has performed internationally as a violinist, appearing as a soloist at venues such as the Barbican Centre in Cecilia McDowall's The Girl from Aleppo^[20] or collaborating with her son at the Hollywood Bowl^[21] or the Royal Albert Hall.^[22]

As a recording artist, she appears as a soloist on Once You from Djesse Vol. 1 and on Gareth Malone’s Notes for Our World (2022).^[23]

Podcast and digital masterclass

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Collier launched Suzie Explores, a digital and in-person initiative focused on creativity and musical exploration. The project includes her podcast^[24], which has featured guests such as the late Quincy Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Nicola Benedetti, and Steve Vai, and a digital masterclass series on Patreon.

Awards

Collier was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in 2001.^[25] She was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) in 2021.^[26]