Susan Miranda, oboist, entrepreneur, and founder of Chione Quintet and BS Project, and co-founder of Dúo León, Reed^5, and Larkspur Reed Trio is a versatile performer and musician.  Susan’s strengths are many, including business owner, writer, and new music pioneer.

Her flourishing performing career focuses on the development and commission of new music. Recent premieres include a commissioning consortium which lead by Ms. Miranda alongside Dr. Onsby Rose, with a premiere of Hidden Currents with the Dordt University Wind Symphony; Across by Theresa Martin at the 2022 International Double Reed Society Conference (IDRS); Colors by Virginia Samuel at the 2022 Biennial North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Conference; Trio No. 11 by Jonathan Posthuma at the 2022 Regional NASA Conference in Arlington, TX; Larkspur: Prelude and Scherzo by Posthuma at the 2023 International Clarinet Association (ICA) Conference in Denver, CO; and works by Posthuma and Gary Powell Nash at the 2023 IDRS Conference in Salaya, Thailand. Miranda’s research interest in music by women produced performances at the International Music by Women Conference in Columbus, MS, and the SHE Festival at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. This summer Ms. Miranda will premiere music by Snow Kim and Jonathan Posthuma at the 2024 IDRS Conference in Flagstaff, AZ with Reed^5 and Larkspur Reed Trio. The following week, Larkspur will premiere a work by Nancy Williams at the ICA Conference in Dublin, Ireland.
Susan is the Oboe Professor at Dordt University and Hamline University. In addition to teaching at the college level, her interest in education and outreach spans all ages. This love of sharing music with the next generation prompted her to co-write an original musical story with BS Project saxophonist, Brian Handeland called Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Find the Blues. The duo performed their program 117 times at schools and libraries in MN, WI, and KS throughout 2022-2023 working with students of all ages from preschool to high school and college.   

With a deep passion for music education, Ms. Miranda has written grants and headed numerous innovative outreach projects. Larkspur Reed Trio is in the process of creating an educational music video. The trio commissioned composer Alejandra Odgers to write music accompanying Alexandra Alessandri’s story Isabel and her Colores Go to School. The video will be released to libraries, and schools, and will be made available online for no cost to children, families, and educators in May.

Ms. Miranda had the opportunity to attend Interlochen Arts Academy as a high school senior, where she studied with Daniel Stolper. She holds a Master of Music from the University of Kansas where she studied with Margaret Marco, and a Bachelor of Communications and Applied Music from the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Basil Reeve. Other principal instructors have included Andréa Banke, Caroline Parks, and Jeffrey Paul. 

Susan lives in Lawrence, Kansas with her daughter and their clan of cats.  In addition to music, one of her passions is traveling.  She and her daughter have the goal of traveling to all 429 National Park Sites, and they have a good start with close to 226 under their belt!