Susana-Jenson-Leiva
Susana Jenson-Leiva, M.M., B.M.
Susana Leiva was born in 1992, in Santiago, Chile. From the beginning, Susana’s mother, also a classically trained singer and pianist, nurtured her musical growth. By the age of four, Susana began piano lessons with Georgina Gonzalez at the Conservatory of the University of Chile. At the age of twelve, she furthered her piano education under the tutelage of Armand Abols at the Austral University of Chile. Alongside her developments in piano, Susana had been constantly involved in singing with various vocal ensembles that had toured extensively in North America, South America, Canada, and Japan. Altogether she had appeared and sung in over 20 productions before learning the craft of operatic singing.
Susana has performed many roles throughout her undergraduate and graduate training in both operatic and musical productions alike. She has appeared in Alcina as the titular lead at the Trentino Music Festival in Italy. Her operatic catalog also includes Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Mabel in Pirates of Penzance, The Princess in Little Nemo in Slumberland by Daron Hagen, and Mary the Mother of Jesus in Marcos Galvany’s Oh My Son. Susana has also sung in musicals, including The Sound of Music (as Elsa), and Fiddler on the Roof (as Hodel). In addition to her work in productions, Susana has extensive experience in recitals, concerts with orchestra, opera scene concerts, and choral ensemble performances across the United States.
Susana has studied privately with Eduardo Chama, Dr. Raejin Lee, and currently studies with Gerald Moore. She has also worked with Faith Esham, Fabiana Bravo, and Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet in music festivals. She has coached with Pamela Gilmore, Lachlan Glen, Tim Ribchester, and many others. Susana holds a Master’s of Music in Opera Performance from the Mason Gross School of The Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, and a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from La Sierra University in Riverside, CA.
When she’s not singing or teaching music, Susana enjoys drawing, interior decorating, and taking on home-improvement projects with her husband. She also loves organizing social events.