Dana Suesse
Encyclopedia
Dana Suesse full name Nadine Dana Suesse, was an American
musician
, composer
and lyricist
.
circuits with an act centered on dancing and piano playing. During the recital, she would ask the audience for a theme, and then proceed to take that theme, weaving it into something of her own. In 1926, she and her mother moved to New York City
.
Suesse began to create larger scale pieces from which she would extrapolate a phrase and then set that tune to words, collaborating with a lyricist. "My Silent Love" (which came from a larger piece called "Jazz Nocturne"), and "You Ought to Be in Pictures" are among her most well-known and popular hits. She collaborated with lyricist Eddie Heyman
on "You Ought to Be in Pictures" in addition to other hits, including "Ho-Hum." The 1930s press called Suesse "the girl Gershwin." Fortune, a magazine then devoted to male achievement, included Dana's photo alongside eight other veterans of the music business, with the headline, "Nine Assets of a Prosperous Organization" (January 1933).
While in New York, Suesse studied piano under Alexander Siloti
, Franz Liszt
's last surviving pupil. She studied composition under Rubin Goldmark
, one of George Gershwin
's teachers, and spent three years studying with Nadia Boulanger
after World War II. In 1931, bandleader Paul Whiteman
(following Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
) commissioned her to write "Concerto in Three Rhythms." In early 1932, she recorded a piano roll
of the Sammy Fain
and Irving Kahal
popular tune 'Was That The Human Thing To Do' for the Aeolian Company
's Duo-Art
reproducing piano system. Beginning in 1930, Suesse formed a song writing partnership with impresario Billy Rose
(usually in collaboration with other lyricists) that lasted into the 1940s. In 1936 Suesse lived in Fort Worth, Texas for three months to compose the score for Rose's Casa Manaña, the spectacular outdoor dinner theatre of the Fort Worth (Texas) Frontier Centennial. With Rose and Irving Kahal
she composed "The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful," which won fifth place on Your Hit Parade
on the broadcast of February 6, 1937, and stayed on the program for six weeks. The Jan Garber
, George Hall and Wayne King
orchestras all recorded it in 1937, and in 1951 Ray Anthony
's orchestra made it a hit again. On June 13, 1937 Amon G. Carter
arranged for Billy Rose
and Suesse to attend a dinner at the White House as guests of President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt
. After dinner, music from Casa Manana was performed by one of the show's stars, Everett Marshall. Subsequently, many songs were written with Rose, including "Yours For A Song" (in collaboration with lyricist Ted Fetter
), the theme of Billy Rose's Aquacade
of the 1939 New York World's Fair
. In the 1940s Suesse was Rose's staff composer for his legendary Diamond Horseshoe Revues. With lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
Suesse wrote "Moon About Town" (for Jane Froman
in the Ziegfeld Follies
of 1934) and "Missouri Misery," both published in 1934.
After her success in writing popular songs (other lyricists included Harold Adamson, Sam Coslow) Suesse moved to Paris for three years to privately study composition with Nadia Boulanger. Boulanger accepted Dana as a student on the recommendation of the great orchestrator, and Suesse's tennis partner, Robert Russell Bennett
.
On December 11, 1974, Suesse and her husband produced a symphony concert at Carnegie Hall, devoted exclusively to her compositions. (In the 1990s, Robert Stern produced a CD of the concert using masters from Voice Of America.) On July 31, 1975, the Newport Music Festival (Rhode Island) presented four of her works in their concert series. A year after the Carnegie Hall concert, Suesse and her husband moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands. After her husband's death in 1981 she moved back to New York, the city where she had spent her most creative years. She took two apartments in the Gramercy Park Hotel and continued to write plays and songs for the theatre. Just before her death from a stroke on October 16, 1987, she was writing a new musical, putting the finishing touches on Mr. Sycamore, which had been optioned for off-Broadway, and was looking for a New York home for a straight play, Nemesis. On September 24, 2003, John McGlinn conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra (UK) in a performance of American music that included three compositions by Suesse.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
.
Biography
While still a child, Suesse toured the Midwest vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuits with an act centered on dancing and piano playing. During the recital, she would ask the audience for a theme, and then proceed to take that theme, weaving it into something of her own. In 1926, she and her mother moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Suesse began to create larger scale pieces from which she would extrapolate a phrase and then set that tune to words, collaborating with a lyricist. "My Silent Love" (which came from a larger piece called "Jazz Nocturne"), and "You Ought to Be in Pictures" are among her most well-known and popular hits. She collaborated with lyricist Eddie Heyman
Edward Heyman
Edward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
on "You Ought to Be in Pictures" in addition to other hits, including "Ho-Hum." The 1930s press called Suesse "the girl Gershwin." Fortune, a magazine then devoted to male achievement, included Dana's photo alongside eight other veterans of the music business, with the headline, "Nine Assets of a Prosperous Organization" (January 1933).
While in New York, Suesse studied piano under Alexander Siloti
Alexander Siloti
Alexander Ilyich Siloti was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, , Aleksandr Iljič Ziloti) (9 October 1863, near Kharkiv - 8 December 1945, New York) was a Russian pianist, conductor and composer. Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, , Aleksandr Iljič...
, Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
's last surviving pupil. She studied composition under Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark
Rubin Goldmark was an American composer, pianist, and educator. Although in his time he was an often performed American nationalist composer, his works are seldom played – instead he is known as the teacher of Aaron Copland and George Gershwin...
, one of George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
's teachers, and spent three years studying with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
after World War II. In 1931, bandleader Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
(following Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue
Rhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects....
) commissioned her to write "Concerto in Three Rhythms." In early 1932, she recorded a piano roll
Piano roll
A piano roll is a music storage medium used to operate a player piano, piano player or reproducing piano. A piano roll is a continuous roll of paper with perforations punched into it. The peforations represent note control data...
of the Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
and Irving Kahal
Irving Kahal
Irving Kahal was a popular lyricist active in the 1920's and '30's. He is best remembered for his collaborations with composer Sammy Fain which started in 1926 when Kahal was working in vaudeville sketches written by Gus Edwards...
popular tune 'Was That The Human Thing To Do' for the Aeolian Company
Aeolian Company
The Æolian Company was a manufacturer of player organs and pianos.- History :It was founded by New York City piano maker William B. Tremaine as the Æolian Organ & Music Co. to make automatic organs, and, after 1895, as the Æolian Co. automatic pianos as well. The Æolian Company was a...
's Duo-Art
Duo-Art
Duo-Art was one of the leading reproducing piano technologies of the early 20th century, the others being American Piano Company , introduced in 1913 too, and Welte-Mignon in 1905. These technologies flourished at that time because of the poor quality of the early Phonograph...
reproducing piano system. Beginning in 1930, Suesse formed a song writing partnership with impresario Billy Rose
Billy Rose
William "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
(usually in collaboration with other lyricists) that lasted into the 1940s. In 1936 Suesse lived in Fort Worth, Texas for three months to compose the score for Rose's Casa Manaña, the spectacular outdoor dinner theatre of the Fort Worth (Texas) Frontier Centennial. With Rose and Irving Kahal
Irving Kahal
Irving Kahal was a popular lyricist active in the 1920's and '30's. He is best remembered for his collaborations with composer Sammy Fain which started in 1926 when Kahal was working in vaudeville sketches written by Gus Edwards...
she composed "The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful," which won fifth place on Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade
Your Hit Parade, is an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1955 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During this 24-year run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or...
on the broadcast of February 6, 1937, and stayed on the program for six weeks. The Jan Garber
Jan Garber
Jan Garber was an American jazz bandleader.-Biography:Garber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had his own band by the time he was 21 . He became known as "The Idol of the Airwaves" in his heyday of the 1920s and 1930s, playing jazz in the vein of contemporaries such as Paul Whiteman and Guy...
, George Hall and Wayne King
Wayne King
Wayne King was an American musician, songwriter, singer and orchestral leader. He was sometimes referred to as "the Waltz King" because much of his most popular music involved waltzes; "The Waltz You Saved For Me" was his standard set closing song in live performance and on numerous radio...
orchestras all recorded it in 1937, and in 1951 Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony
Ray Anthony is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor.- Biography :...
's orchestra made it a hit again. On June 13, 1937 Amon G. Carter
Amon G. Carter
Amon G. Carter, Sr. was the creator and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth, Texas. A legacy in his will was used to create Fort Worth's Amon Carter Museum....
arranged for Billy Rose
Billy Rose
William "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
and Suesse to attend a dinner at the White House as guests of President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. After dinner, music from Casa Manana was performed by one of the show's stars, Everett Marshall. Subsequently, many songs were written with Rose, including "Yours For A Song" (in collaboration with lyricist Ted Fetter
Ted Fetter
Theodore "Ted" Fetter was a Broadway lyricist who contributed material to such revues as "The Show Is On" and "Billy Rose's Aquacade" , but is best remembered for co-writing the song "Taking a Chance on Love," introduced in the 1940 musical comedy Cabin in the Sky.Fetter started as an actor,...
), the theme of Billy Rose's Aquacade
Billy Rose's Aquacade
Billy Rose's Aquacade was a music, dance and swimming show produced by Billy Rose at the Great Lakes Exposition in 1937.Later Aquacade moved to the 1939 New York World's Fair where it was the most successful production of the fair . The Art Deco 11,000 seat amphitheatre was designed by architects...
of the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. In the 1940s Suesse was Rose's staff composer for his legendary Diamond Horseshoe Revues. With lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
Yip Harburg
Edgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
Suesse wrote "Moon About Town" (for Jane Froman
Jane Froman
Jane Froman was an American singer and actress. During her thirty-year career, Froman performed on stage, radio and television despite chronic injuries that she sustained from a 1943 plane crash...
in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1934) and "Missouri Misery," both published in 1934.
After her success in writing popular songs (other lyricists included Harold Adamson, Sam Coslow) Suesse moved to Paris for three years to privately study composition with Nadia Boulanger. Boulanger accepted Dana as a student on the recommendation of the great orchestrator, and Suesse's tennis partner, Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett
Robert Russell Bennett was an American composer and arranger, best known for his orchestration of many well-known Broadway and Hollywood musicals by other composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers. In 1957 and 2008, Bennett received Tony Awards...
.
On December 11, 1974, Suesse and her husband produced a symphony concert at Carnegie Hall, devoted exclusively to her compositions. (In the 1990s, Robert Stern produced a CD of the concert using masters from Voice Of America.) On July 31, 1975, the Newport Music Festival (Rhode Island) presented four of her works in their concert series. A year after the Carnegie Hall concert, Suesse and her husband moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands. After her husband's death in 1981 she moved back to New York, the city where she had spent her most creative years. She took two apartments in the Gramercy Park Hotel and continued to write plays and songs for the theatre. Just before her death from a stroke on October 16, 1987, she was writing a new musical, putting the finishing touches on Mr. Sycamore, which had been optioned for off-Broadway, and was looking for a New York home for a straight play, Nemesis. On September 24, 2003, John McGlinn conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra (UK) in a performance of American music that included three compositions by Suesse.
- Dana Suesse was the wife of Courtney Burr (July 26, 1940 - June 29, 1954). Their marriage ended in a divorce. She later married a businessman, Charles Edwin Delinks (April 16, 1971 until his death July 14, 1981).
- Among the original productions for which Suesse composed are Sweet And LowSweet and Low (musical)Sweet and Low is a musical revue produced by Billy Rose and starring James Barton, Fanny Brice, George Jessel, and Arthur Treacher. It features sketches by David Freedman and songs by various composers and lyricists....
(1930), You Never Know (1938), Crazy With the Heat (1941), and incidental music for both The Seven Year ItchThe Seven Year ItchThe Seven Year Itch is a 1955 American film based on a three-act play with the same name by George Axelrod. The film was co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, and starred Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, reprising his Broadway role...
(1952) and The Golden FleecingThe Golden FleecingThe Golden Fleecing is a Scrooge McDuck comic book story from 1955, written and drawn by Carl Barks. It's about Scrooge who wants the Golden Fleece to make a jacket.-Storyline:...
(1959).
Chronology
- 1909 Born Kansas City, Mo. December 3
- 1919 First solo concert, Kansas City, MO
- 1926 Moves to New York City [December]
- 1927 First copyrighted song: Razor Blade Blues [unpublished]
- 1928 Syncopated Love Song (copyrighted July 2) performed on station KWK by Merle Johnston’s Saxophone Quartet
- 1929 First publication: mood music for silent films; Nathaniel ShilkretNathaniel ShilkretNathaniel Shilkret was an American composer, conductor, clarinetist, pianist, business executive, and music director born in New York City, New York to an Austrian immigrant family.-Early career:...
records Syncopated Love Song (December 13) - 1930 Rehearsal pianist, Billy Rose's first revue Sweet And Low. Syncopated Love Song published
- 1931 Staff composer at Famous Music; Jazz Nocturne becomes hit instrumental. Syncopated Love Song is made into song called Have You Forgotten. Ho-Hum and Whistling In the Dark popularized internationally
- 1932 Jazz Nocturne is made into song called My Silent Love, Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
concert at Carnegie Hall [Nov. 4] Concerto in Three Rhythms is introduced. In April, her piano rollPiano rollA piano roll is a music storage medium used to operate a player piano, piano player or reproducing piano. A piano roll is a continuous roll of paper with perforations punched into it. The peforations represent note control data...
recording of 'Was That The Human Thing To Do' is released as Duo-ArtDuo-ArtDuo-Art was one of the leading reproducing piano technologies of the early 20th century, the others being American Piano Company , introduced in 1913 too, and Welte-Mignon in 1905. These technologies flourished at that time because of the poor quality of the early Phonograph...
roll #0860. - 1933 Makes film appearance with Edward HeymanEdward HeymanEdward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
for Paramount, Astoria; Whiteman appearances: Madison Square Garden; Writes hit song for Ziegfeld FolliesZiegfeld FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
with Yip HarburgYip HarburgEdgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
: Moon About Town - 1934 Vera Brodsky & Harold Triggs (duo-pianists) perform Suesse’s ballet music for Tamara GevaTamara GevaTamara Geva was a Russian actress, ballet dancer and choreographer. She was the first wife of dancer/choreographer George Balanchine.-Biography:...
at Radio City Music HallRadio City Music HallRadio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
; Town Hall concert conducted by Bernard HerrmannBernard HerrmannBernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
; Brooklyn Academy with Whiteman; Boston Symphony Hall Arthur FiedlerArthur FiedlerArthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
; writes songs for Broadway play The Red Cat; Appears on George Gershwin's radio broadcast (October 28); Whiteman records Blue Moonlight for RCA-Victor; You Oughta Be In Pictures is published - 1935 Composes Sweet Surrender (Universal) film score; Performs with General Motors Symphony [Frank Black]; Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Nathaniel ShilkretNathaniel ShilkretNathaniel Shilkret was an American composer, conductor, clarinetist, pianist, business executive, and music director born in New York City, New York to an Austrian immigrant family.-Early career:...
at Robin Hood Dell, PA. - 1936 Billy RoseBilly RoseWilliam "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
Casa Manana (Texas Centennial), hit song "The Night Is Young And You're So Beautiful" - 1937 More Casa Manana; White House with President & Mrs. Roosevelt
- 1938 More radio appearances, writes song interpolated in Cole PorterCole PorterCole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
show, You Never Know, Etc.; Robbins publishes instrumentals - 1939 Composes suite for harpist Casper ReardonCasper ReardonCasper Reardon was a classical and later jazz harpist. He studied classical harp at the Curtis Institute of Music going on to play for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra...
Young Man With a Harp; Philadelphia Symphony performs harp suite with Reardon (July 19) - 1940 Makes records for Schirmer records; Makes second visit to White House [March 4] with harpist Casper ReardonCasper ReardonCasper Reardon was a classical and later jazz harpist. He studied classical harp at the Curtis Institute of Music going on to play for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra...
- 1942 Composes and orchestrates 2-piano concerto; composes for Diamond Horseshoe Revue; Cocktail Suite; Meredith WillsonMeredith WillsonRobert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
recorded series includes American Nocturne - 1943 Composes and orchestrates Three Cities suite; writes plays with Virginia Faulkner; Concerto in E Minor- Cincinnati Symphony, duo-pianists Ethel Bartlett & Rae Robertson (known familiarly as "the Bartlett Pair")
- 1944 More Diamond Horseshoe scores
- 1946 Sells screenplay, It Takes Two, to RKO; Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
introduces Night Sky (October 27) on broadcast - 1947 It Takes Two (comedy written with Virginia Faulkner) opens (February 3); Departs for France (October) to study composition with Nadia BoulangerNadia BoulangerNadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
- 1948: studies and composes concert music
- 1950 Sails back to NY (October); Moves to 30 E. 60th St.
- 1952 composes incidental music for Seven Year Itch; The Girl Without A Name published
- 1953 Josephine (songs by Suesse) opens, Playhouse Theatre, Chicago
- 1955 Concerto Romantico performed at Cooper UnionCooper UnionThe Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
, broadcast on radio - 1956 Concerto In Rhythm performed by Rochester Civic Orchestra (composer at piano), conducted by Frederick FennellFrederick FennellFrederick Fennell was an internationally recognized conductor, and one of the primary figures in promoting the wind ensemble as a performing group. He was also influential as a band pedagogue, and greatly affected the field of music education in the USA and abroad...
- 1957 Buffalo Philharmonic OrchestraBuffalo Philharmonic OrchestraThe Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Its regular concert season features gala concerts, classics programming of core repertoire, Pops...
concert- conducted by Josef KripsJosef KripsJosef Alois Krips was an Austrian conductor and violinist.-Biography:Krips was born in Vienna and went on to become a pupil of Eusebius Mandyczewski and Felix Weingartner. From 1921 to 1924, he served as Weingartner's assistant at the Vienna Volksoper and as répétiteur and chorus master... - 1959 Come Play With Me opens, York Playhouse, NY. with Tamara GevaTamara GevaTamara Geva was a Russian actress, ballet dancer and choreographer. She was the first wife of dancer/choreographer George Balanchine.-Biography:...
, Liliane MontevecchiLiliane MontevecchiLiliane Montevecchi is a French actress, dancer, and singer.Montevecchi began her career as a prima ballerina in Roland Petit's dance company...
, Tom PostonTom PostonThomas Gordon "Tom" Poston was an American television and film actor. He starred on television in a career that began in 1950...
(April 30); composes for play The Golden Fleecing - 1965 Nina Stevens (Dana's mother) dies
- 1970 Moves to New London, CT
- 1971 Marries C. Edwin Delinks
- 1974 Carnegie Hall Concert, December
- 1975 Newport Music FestivalNewport Music FestivalNewport Music Festival is a classical music festival that takes place in Newport, Rhode Island.It was founded in 1969 as a summer season of the Metropolitan Opera. The outdoor venue was not conducive to classical music performance, and instead the grand rooms of the stately Newport mansions were...
concert; Sells Steinway to pianist Peter MintunPeter MintunPeter Mintun is a well-known pianist, who is an authority on American popular songs and films, produced between both World Wars.- Biography :...
; Moves to Virgin Islands with husband - 1979 Mintun honors Suesse at testimonial dinner, San Francisco. Reunited final time with Edward HeymanEdward HeymanEdward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
. - 1981 Husband dies of cancer [July]; Moves to New York [October 9]
- 1982 October 1 is proclaimed Dana Suesse Day, Kansas City (Mo.); Suesse accepts honors from Mayor Richard L. Berkley in person. Last visit to Missouri; Interview on WOR radio [NY]
- 1986 Appears at Wall-To-Wall American Song tribute, Symphony Space, NY
- 1987 Suesse dies from stroke (October 16)
- 1996 Two CDs are produced, devoted to the music of Suesse: “Keyboard Wizards of the Gershwin Era” (Pearl, UK) produced by [Artis Wodehouse] and “The Night Is Young – The Concert Music of Dana Suesse” (Premier) produced by Robert Stern.
- 1998 Literary Executor Peter MintunPeter MintunPeter Mintun is a well-known pianist, who is an authority on American popular songs and films, produced between both World Wars.- Biography :...
gives talk at Library of Congress for event "The Gershwins and Their World" [March]. - 2003 BBC Concert OrchestraBBC Concert OrchestraThe BBC Concert Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five which is not a full-scale symphony orchestra....
conducted by John McGlinnJohn McGlinnJohn Alexander McGlinn III was an American conductor and musical theatre archivist. He was one of the principal proponents of authentic studio cast recordings of Broadway musicals, using original orchestrations and vocal arrangements.-Biography:John Alexander McGlinn III was born in Bryn Mawr,...
, performs Afternoon of a Black Faun [arranged by Bernie Mayer], Moon About Town [arranged by Hans Spialek, sung by Kim CriswellKim CriswellKim Criswell is an American musical entertainer and actress.- Life and career :Criswell was born in Hampton, Virginia, but grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. After she graduated from high school, she studied musical theatre at the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music...
] and Serenade To A Skyscraper [arranged by the composer] [September 24] - 2005 Albany Symphony OrchestraAlbany Symphony OrchestraThe Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. The upcoming season will mark the orchestra's 78th....
Performs Concerto in Three Rhythms conducted by David Alan MillerDavid Alan MillerDavid Alan Miller is a prominent American classical music symphony orchestra conductor, and for the past several years, the conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra.-Early career and education:...
, Kevin Cole, soloist [March 18]. - 2009 The Hot Springs Music FestivalHot Springs Music FestivalThe Hot Springs Music Festival is a not-for-profit educational music festival held in Hot Springs, Arkansas. During the first two weeks of June, "pre-professional" musicians join professional mentor musicians in performance of concert music. There are approximately 4 orchestral concerts and...
Symphony Orchestra performs Concerto in Three Rhythms (arranged in 1932 by Ferde GroféFerde GroféFerde Grofé was a prominent American composer, arranger and pianist. During the 1920s and 1930s, he went by the name Ferdie Grofé.-Early life:...
for Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
Orchestra, conducted by Richard Rosenberg; Michael Gurt, piano soloist (June 3). Festival Orchestra records Suesse's Jazz Nocturne (arranged by Carroll Huxley for Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
Orchestra) and Concerto in Three Rhythms for Naxos RecordsNaxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
(for 2010 release).
Principal works
- "Jazz Nocturne" for piano and orchestra (1931 ; orchestrated by Carroll Huxley)
- "Concerto in Three Rhythms" for piano and orchestra (1932 ; orchestrated by Ferde Grofé)
- "Symphonic Waltzes" (1933)
- "Concerto for two pianos and orchestra" in E minor (1934–1941)
- "Concerto romantico" for piano and orchestra in A major (1946)
- "Jazz Concerto in D major" for Combo and Orchestra (1955 ; orig. titled "Concerto in Rhythms")