Susan Laurence has accepted the position of pianist ay Bayshore.

     A close friend recently was killed in a motorcycle accident. She is spending some time with her parents in Rhode Island. This has delayed her coming but her plans are still to begin her ministry with us sometime in the summer 2008.

     Susan grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island. She began her piano studies with big-band maestro Al Conte at the age of 8. At age 11, she won the Wheaton College competition, allowing her to study with Jung-Ja Kim from the Boston Conservatory.

    Susan attended Boston University and SUNY Stony Brook, where she was awarded several scholarships and performed Beethovan's Third Piano Concerto with orchestra after winning the concerto competition. Ms. Laurence also had the privilege to play a benefit concert with Julliard's head of piano faculty, Jerome Lowenthal.

    She returned home to Rhode Island for several years and taught locally while working as an accompanist for Brown University and Opera Providence. She currently resides in Sarasota, Florida, and was named the 2008 adult winner in the "North American Searching For a Star" competition sponsored by the Kawai Piano Company. She is pursuing a Master's degree in Piano Performance at the University of South Florida. She studies with Dr. Svetozar Ivanov with whom she was awarded a full assistantship for 2008-2009. This spring Susan performed the Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 with the North Port Symphony.

    Susan is thrilled and honored to accept the position of Pianist at Bayshore.