Oboist Susan Butler (Morris) has been a member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra since 1979: as English Hornist from 1979 to 1984 and as Principal Oboist from 1984 to the present. Susan’s busy career as a freelance musician frequently includes performances with ensembles such as the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Thirteen Strings, l’Ensemble Prisme, and the Ottawa Choral Society. As a chamber musician, Susan plays in The Harmonious Pigs Reed Trio with fellow OSO principal musicians Shauna Barker and Ben Glossop, and from 2004 to 2019 she was oboist of the Bel Canto Wind Quintet. In addition to her work as a professional oboist, Susan is an accomplished recorder player and piano accompanist. As a soloist, she performs concertos and recitals on oboe or recorder.
Susan is a dedicated teacher, working with music students of all levels in her private studio in Deep River, Ontario. She is an experienced and well-respected instructor of student music ensembles of all levels: her work in this capacity includes the Kincardine Summer Music Festival from 1993 to 2002, the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy from 1999 to 2015, and Deep River’s Summermusic day-camp from 1993 to the present. She conducts the Deep River Youth Orchestra and isthe artistic and administrative director of Summermusic, also conducting ensembles and teaching woodwinds at the camp. Susan enjoys coaching recorder consorts of all ages and working with adult amateur musicians in community orchestras and with CAMMAC.
Susan Butler graduated from the University of Ottawa in 1980 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance. Her post-graduate studies were with the Orchestral Training Program of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Her primary oboe instructors were Rowland Floyd and Harry Sargous, with additional studies with Richard Killmer, John Mack, James Mason and Charles Hamann. When she is not busy with musical activities, Susan enjoys cryptic crossword puzzles, cooking, and outdoor pursuits such as gardening, camping, and snowshoeing.