Suzanna Dennis Bratton
Principal Clarinetist Suzanna Dennis Bratton joined the Grand Rapids Symphony in September of 1998 as Acting Principal Clarinet and won the permanent position in December of 1999. A native of Portland, Oregon, Mrs. Bratton earned Bachelor’s degrees in Music and Clarinet Performance from Portland State University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She then earned an Artist Diploma in Clarinet from Duquesne University in Pennsylvania. Her principal teachers include Stan Stanford, Fred Ormand, and Mark Nuccio. She has been a recipient of many honors and awards, including 3rd prize in the International Clarinet Association’s Young Artists Competition in 1992.
Mrs. Bratton has appeared as a soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony several times, on the Casual Classics series and as a part of the Mozart and Beethoven Festivals. A huge fan of chamber music, she gives recitals in Grand Rapids and collaborates with the Grand Rapids Ballet, the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art and the Phoenix Ensemble in Ann Arbor.
Prior to coming to Grand Rapids, Mrs. Bratton held positions with the Akron and Canton Symphonies in Ohio. Other symphonic appearances include Cincinnati, New World, and Toledo Symphonies, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Sarasota Opera, Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Mrs. Bratton has also participated in festivals such as the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Idaho and St. Barth’s Music Festival in the French West Indies. As a soloist, she has been featured with the Cleveland Chamber Symphony and Akron Symphony Orchestra.