Sue Rabut

(She/her)

Sue grew up in a musical family near New York City. Chamber music was a passion from a young age, and Sue was placed in her first string quartet by her fourth-grade music teacher, playing Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik!

Her high school string quartet played in a Master Class run by Boston University. There, she met Roman Totenberg, who recruited her to study violin with him at Boston University. Chamber music studies continued under many esteemed teachers at BU, Kneisel Hall, and Taos School of Music, notably Eugene Lehner (violist of the famed Kolisch Quartet and BSO violist), Leslie Parnas, Walter Trampler, Artur Balsam, James Buswell, Giorgio Ciompi, Roman Totenberg, Karen Tuttle, Barbara Mallow, Robert MacDonald, and members of the American String Quartet.

Following her studies, Sue joined the Apple Hill Chamber Players in NH full-time for a number of years. She was a member of the Bach Festival Orchestra under Blanche Moyse in Marlboro VT for nine years. Sue taught at Mount Holyoke College, and Keene State College, was a member of many regional symphonies, and was concertmaster of Opera North (NH) for seven years. During this time Sue enriched her own violin technique by studying privately with Sally Thomas of the Juilliard School for four years. Ms. Thomas was the long-time assistant to famed Juilliard violin pedagogue Ivan Galamian.

Upon returning to the Boston area in 1994 she joined the Boston Composers String Quartet, 1993 Silver Medalist winners of the Tokyo Quartet Competition. The quartet performed at New York’s Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and Boston venues, primarily playing live Boston composers’ works but also performing early music on period instruments.

Sue also joined the faculty of the All-Newton Music School, and the orchestras of Boston Baroque, Handel Haydn Society, Emmanuel Music, Boston Classical Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Pops, and subbed with the BSO, maintaining an active performance and teaching schedule in the Boston area.

Sue loves opera! She learned about opera working with famed Metropolitan Opera impresario Boris Goldovsky and played with his New York Opera Touring Company for three seasons in the 1980s. Additionally, Sue held regular positions with the Virginia Opera Company, the Opera Company of Boston, and the Boston Lyric Opera. She joined the Glimmerglass Opera summer festival in 1993 and subsequently won the Principal 2nd position, later becoming Asst. Concertmaster, and Assoc. Concertmaster, playing there through the 2013 season. During the last five years, Sue has been playing recitals several times a year with a collaborative pianist in the area. It’s been a great opportunity to explore and revisit solo and sonata repertoire!

She also works at Johnson String Instrument and maintains a private teaching studio. Sue plays on two violins (modern and baroque) made by her brother, Guy Rabut, a luthier of fine instruments in New York City.