Douglas Susu-Mago
Doug Susu-Mago
Douglas Susu-Mago is a well-known voice teacher and composer who divides his time between Chicago and Los Angeles. Born in the American southwest, but raised in Hawaii, he attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Returning to the United States after briefly performing in Europe, he settled in Chicago, where he became active as a singer and stage director, both locally and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1971 he accepted a position on the faculty of Kendall College, teaching singing and conducting the choir. In 1973 he opened a private studio as well, where he soon gained a reputation for building and restoring voices in all styles, from classical to heavy metal. He maintained his relationship with Kendall for another three years, but in 1976 the size of his private practice and the extent of his other activities made it necessary for him to resign his position at the college.
One such activity was the formation of The Evanston Opera Theater. He may have been the first to introduce the use of projected super-titles, a practice now universally embraced. (However, innovation not necessarily leading to financial stability, the company was forced to disband in 1979.)
In 1980 he expanded his studio to Los Angeles, and a decade later added Nashville. Although he continues to work with amateurs as well, his professional students appear in venues from rock concerts to major opera houses, not only in the U.S., but also in Europe and Asia. Among them are Grammy, Tony, Oscar and Emmy winners. He has trained others as voice teachers who practice in the Chicago area and on both coasts.
He considers his work on the relationship between the brain and the singing voice to be the most important achievement in his career.
