BIO

Dr. Susan E. Barnes is a conductor, violinist, violist, educator, clinician, and arts leader whose career encompasses professional performance, orchestral and choral conducting, string pedagogy, program development, and music education. Her work as a performing musician has taken her to concert stages throughout Southern California and beyond, while her conducting and educational leadership have connected musicians of all ages with meaningful opportunities for artistic growth and collaboration.

As a violinist and violist, Dr. Barnes maintains an active professional performance career. She has performed with ensembles including the Orchestra Collective of Orange County, High Desert Symphony, Claremont Symphony Orchestra, San Jacinto Symphony, and Southland Symphony, and has appeared on the stage of the historic Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. She has performed under the baton of distinguished conductors Bogidar Avramov, Larry Livingston, and Robert Shaw. She is regularly engaged as a violinist with orchestras and other ensembles throughout Southern California, accompanying choral organizations and freelancing for concerts and special events. She is also frequently called upon to perform with the Claremont Symphony String Quartet for community and regional events. Her performance credits include appearing with the touring orchestra of internationally acclaimed vocalist Jackie Evancho and performing in the chamber orchestra for the West Coast premiere of Voiceless Mass by Raven Chacon, winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Deeply committed to chamber music, Dr. Barnes is the founding leader of the Fisher String Quartet in San Diego, performing on both violin and viola.

A strong advocate for string education and artistic development, Dr. Barnes is active as a clinician, adjudicator, and section coach for orchestras throughout the region. Her musical training includes study of the Suzuki violin method, and she studied violin with Barbara Sternfeld, Marjorie Marth, Idell Low, and Theodore Brunson. Her work with young musicians spans elementary, secondary, university, and community settings, with particular expertise in recruitment, student retention, string pedagogy, and the development of sustainable music programs. As the founder of the Rialto Unified School District string program, Dr. Barnes transformed a small after-school initiative serving twenty students into a comprehensive districtwide K–12 string program reaching approximately 500 students annually. Her leadership established a sustainable recruitment pipeline and instructional pathway that has continued to connect students from elementary and middle school programs to high school orchestra, with approximately 83 percent of eligible feeder-school orchestra students continuing into high school orchestra despite declining district enrollment.

Dr. Barnes is an accomplished conductor whose work spans youth, university, professional, community, and faith-based ensembles. She serves as Director and Conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Overture Orchestra, a full orchestra serving students in grades 5–12 under the umbrella of the San Bernardino Symphony Association. Working closely with Maestro Anthony Parnther, she leads an ensemble that brings together young musicians from throughout the Inland Empire and provides high-level orchestral training and performance opportunities. Her conducting experience includes guest conducting university ensembles, youth honor orchestras, and professional and community ensembles throughout Southern California, including the California State University, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra. As Music Director of the Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra at Ontario Church of the Nazarene, she has conducted major choral-orchestral works, bringing together large vocal and instrumental ensembles in the performance of substantial sacred repertoire. She studied conducting with Dr. David Rentz and has pursued the study of twentieth- and twenty-first-century music with renowned composer Peter Boyer.

As an educator and teacher educator, Dr. Barnes combines artistic rigor with a student-centered approach to musical development. She serves as a Lecturer and University Supervisor at California State University, San Bernardino, where she supports teacher candidates through observation, assessment, mentoring, and instructional coaching. Her broader educational work includes curriculum development, teacher mentorship, string pedagogy, and community music initiatives. She has developed UC/CSU A–G approved music courses and contributed to strategic planning for arts education, while her work as a clinician and adjudicator allows her to support both emerging musicians and music educators throughout the region.

Dr. Barnes holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting and Historical Performance Practices from Claremont Graduate University, where her doctoral research examined the history, social function, and pedagogical implications of the string serenade from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. She also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching, Learning and Technology from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, cum laude. Her scholarly interests include string pedagogy, orchestral and string orchestra literature, historical performance practices, conducting pedagogy, music teacher preparation, and the role of music education in developing lifelong musicianship.

Across her work as a performer, conductor, educator, clinician, and scholar, Dr. Barnes is committed to creating meaningful musical experiences that inspire artistic excellence, personal growth, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Whether performing on violin or viola, conducting a full orchestra, mentoring future educators, coaching young musicians, or building sustainable music programs, she views music as a powerful means of connecting people, strengthening communities, and expanding what musicians believe they are capable of achieving.