Susanne Alt is a saxophone player and composer, living in Amsterdam. She has released 4 cd’s with her own group, the “Susanne Alt Quartet”. Susanne got a lot of nationwide media attention in 2009 because of her third album which included trombone-legend Fred Wesley. Her video’s on Youtube have been viewed more than 250 000 times.
She just recorded a live cd at Bimhuis (october 2010) which has been released in february 2011; at the end of 2010 she has recorded a new studio album as well which she will work on in 2011 and which probably be released at the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.
Susanne Alt was born into a musical household. Her father, Hans-Joachim Alt is a composer, poet and piano teacher. Her mother, Maria Alt, is a guitar teacher. After learning classical piano and guitar from her parents she started to play the saxophone. Soon she successfully took part in saxophone competitions. 1993-1995, still in school, She took classical saxophone lessons at the Meistersingerkonservatorium Nuremberg. 1995-96 she studied one year there as well, fulltime. During that year Susanne began to develop her jazz skills. Also in 1996 she won the “Siemens-Jazz-Förderpreis” and moved to the Netherlands to study jazz saxophone at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (in 1996 it was still called Hilversums Conservatorium, later fused with Amsterdam). Susanne studied there from 1996-2000. At about the same time (1997-2000) she was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra Germany, conducted by Peter Herbolzheimer and John Ruocco. Because she wanted to develop her musical personality and own style further as well as to learn about composing, she studied from 2000-2003 at the Universität der Künste, Berlin, Germany at Peter Weniger, David Friedman and Sigi Busch. In 2000 she won prizes at the jazz competitions in Leiden and Breda, The Netherlands and was 2002 finalist of the Leipziger Jazznachwuchsfestival, Germany.
In 2004 she became finalist of the “Dutch Jazz Competition”. Also in 2004, Susanne released her debut album “Nocturne”. 2007 she founded her own label “VENUS TUNES” and released “Delight” with special guest Anton Goudsmit on guitar. 2009 she released “On Track” with special guests Bruno Speight on guitar (guitar player of Maceo Parker) and Fred Wesley on trombone. Fred Wesley invited her back for a little tour in the Netherlands and France to join his band “Fred Wesley and the new J.B.’s”. Later in 2009 Susanne performed with Jamal Thomas (drummer of Maceo Parker).
Besides playing jazz Susanne has always been doing a lot of freelance work in other musical genres and formations, and also can be heard on house vinyls and regularly performing with house and jazz dj’s through whole Europe.
Some dj’s she works/has worked with: Erick E, Roog, Natarcia, Promiss, Martin Damen, Leonardo, Ronald Molendijk, Marc van Dale, Cassie 6, Graham B, DJ Maestro, and the dj’s at Wicked Jazz Sounds.
Susanne plays
on alto:
mouthpiece: Vandoren V16 A5 M
ligature: Vandoren Optimum
reeds: Vandoren Jazz 3
on soprano:
mouthpiece: Vandoren V16 S6
ligature: Vandoren Optimum
reeds: Vandoren Classic 3
