Illustration by M. Scott Ricketts
Illustration by M. Scott Ricketts
Powerful Pipes
A mogul is a powerful person. Just ask this month’s powerfully-piped mogul Suzanne Nance to belt out a song—but hang on to your hat.
MPBN’s Suzanne Nance definitely does not have a face for radio, and her voice doesn’t always require a microphone. This beautiful broadcaster has been blowing people away with her singing voice since high school—including her recent gig on the Fourth of July, performing for a large crowd of patriotic devotees at Portland’s Eastern Promenade.
Classical music lovers know Nance from her weekday morning classical music program on MPBN, where she has worked as the music director since 2007. But she’s no mere DJ. A singer, actor, and broadcaster, Nance grew up in Philly and moved to Maine in 2007. She studied music and communications at Syracuse University in New York and earned an MA in voice performance at DePaul University in Chicago. A soprano, Nance has performed in Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, London, and Prague, appearing in operas such as Cosi fan tutti, La Boheme, and Madama Butterfly.
This energetic diva made her vocal debut in a high school musical. “No one in my family knew I could really sing,” Nance says. From high school and college musicals, Nance made the transition to opera. The “larger than life” genre is a great fit for Nance, allowing her to do two of her favorite things—“sing and act.”
Her management role at MPBN and her singing career feed each other and keep Nance constantly busy—this summer she has had a performance every week. And all her hard work both behind the microphone and on stage has made a difference.
“Ratings show that our audience is getting younger and that the numbers of classical music listeners are growing,” Nance says. “I hope that’s because of my approach.” Nance uses her Facebook page to interact with her listeners. “I’ve been really impressed with the feedback I get. We have a great audience.”
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