Meet Chandra Susilo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandra Susilo.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I started violin at the age of five with Hiroko Primrose, one of the first students of Suzuki, founder of the Suzuki method. At the age of 17, I made my debut as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony. I received my Master’s degree at Arizona State University in Violin Performance where I won the annual concerto competition and performed as a member of the scholarship ensemble, the Herberger string quartet.

I have a strong love of Latin American music and have performed repertoire from Astor Piazzolla at the festival FEMUSC in Brazil as well as showcased new compositions with the Latin American group Amazonas at Carnegie Hall. Currently, I am the first violinist of the Tetra String Quartet, an ensemble and nonprofit organization focused on creating engaging performances and expanding access to music education for underserved communities in the greater Phoenix area.

I also work as a Suzuki trained teacher for children between the ages of 3 to 18 years old. I strive to uphold Suzuki’s vision of music as a vehicle for making good citizens. As Suzuki said, “If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline, and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”

Please tell us about your art.
Currently, my focus is on the music I play with the Tetra String Quartet. We give concerts at school assemblies, as well as hold public performances across the Valley. We try to play music that will leave audiences feeling uplifted, inspired, and moved. In light of that purpose, we try to choose music that has some kind of meaning to us and may include anything from covers of Disney songs to quartet repertoire from living composers that tell a story.

Through our “Play Out!” initiative, which is a part of our nonprofit branch, we perform at the Phoenix VA Hospital and hold concerts for families with children with autism that may otherwise not have the opportunity to attend concerts. We also hold music and movement creation workshops with youth at Florence Crittenton’s rehabilitation center, as well as for children and youth at the Maricopa Juvenile Detention Center that are awaiting trial. We do this because we feel that live music has not served it’s true purpose if it is only for us or it is only for an audience that can afford access to it. We try to use our music and creative process as a vehicle for service and empowerment for community members.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
One of the biggest challenges as an arts educator and artist interested in making a public contribution with his or her work is the need to explain why or how art is important and what benefit it will have to other subjects such as science and math. Artists interested in areas of public service and education are often all too keenly aware of the broad underlying belief in our country that art does not inherently have practical value. This has an impact on the sort public funding that exists for artists and arts educators. Helping to reframe art as important in and of itself is something that certainly deserves further evaluation.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can support Tetra’s work through attending our concerts, sharing the word, and through donations to our nonprofit branch that allows us to do the work that we love. All information on our projects, upcoming concerts and how to give can be found on our website: tetraquartet.org.

Contact Info:

• Website: tetraquartet.org, chandrasusilomusic.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tetraquartet

Image Credit:
Karise Denise

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.