Susan Avery

Piano instruction

Dr. Susan J. Avery received her undergraduate degree in Music Education with piano as her major instrument from the Eastman School of Music, her Master’s degree from Ithaca College, and her PhD from Eastman. She recently retired after 20 years as an Associate Professor of Music Education at Ithaca College. Prior to teaching at IC, she was the Choral Director at the Waterloo Senior High School in Waterloo, NY for 24 years.

Susan is active in the New York music organization (NYSSMA) as an adjudicator for Piano, All-State Voice, All-State Vocal Jazz, and Choral Majors and serves as NYSSMA’s State Chair of Adjudication Festival Choirs. She was an accompanist at NYSSMA’s All-State Conference for both Mixed Choir and Women’s Choir for several years as well as an accompanist for many Area All-State and All-County choirs throughout New York.

Susan and her husband Doug along with their two beagles live in Seneca Falls where they are renovating their 1872 Victorian house. She conducts the Seneca Singers (an adult community chorus) and is the organist for a local church. Susan loves to cook, take care of her vegetable garden, travel, read, and generally enjoy retirement! Needless to say, one of her greatest joys in life is teaching piano lessons, of which she has done for over 40 years and she is honored to be part of the amazing faculty at Opus Ithaca!