Sue Carson is a classically trained multi-genre singer and instrumentalist (violin, mandolin and guitar) who has performed as a professional musician for over 30 years and is a founding member of Love That Hat.

Sue lectures at the University of Newcastle in music and was appointed Newcastle Conservatorium Coordinator in 2024. She teaches performance and project courses which involve coaching ensembles, instrument skills and repertoire analysis. In April 2024, Sue was awarded her PhD, which investigated the processes involved in singing multiple genres.

Aside from her academic pursuits, Sue has performed as a professional freelance musician in genres including opera, musical theatre, pop, country, folk, bluegrass, blues, rock, soul, funk and jazz. She is a musical all-rounder who works regularly across styles. Her diverse career includes performances at national, regional or festival venues and her breadth of roles include Mozart’s Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, and Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, Strauss’s Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Cunegonde in Bernstein’s Candide, Mrs Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and Margaret White in Carrie the musical.

Sue is also a multi-instrumentalist and has worked extensively as a session fiddle player and vocalist. She has played and sung with Australia’s elite country stars such as Troy Cassar-Daley, The McClymonts, Sara Storer, Beccy Cole, and The Bushwackers. Sue has toured nationally as member of Golden-Guitar nominated award-winning Bob Corbett and the Roo Grass Band with whom she has recorded four albums. She maintains an active performance portfolio of contemporary bands, jazz ensembles, music theatre productions and classical recital, including performances as a featured artist in the Newcastle Music Festival. Sue will release her album of songs in multiple styles written for her PhD research in the coming months.

Image credit: Edwina Richards

AT THE FESTIVAL