Her research interests include Luso African and Latin American music cultures. A Fulbright scholar, she has published numerous articles and a documentary film on music of Cape Verde, and holds a Ph.D. in musicology (ethnomusicology) from Brown University as well as degrees in applied music. Susan hosts the weekly radio show “Excursiones Musicales,” for Rio Grande Valley 88 FM Public Radio. She is also a horn player, and has performed with professional orchestras in America and Germany, including Opera Fairbanks, Orchestra of Northern New York, the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. Her primary horn teachers were Roy Schaberg and Ifor James.