Conrad Stephen Susa (April 26, 1935 – November 21, 2013) was an American composer. Born in Springdale, Pennsylvania, Susa studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Juilliard School, where his teachers included William Bergsma, Vincent Persichetti and, by his own claim, P. D. Q. Bach, the fictitious spoof character created by American composer Peter Schickele. From 1959 to 1994, Susa was composer-in-residence for the Old Globe Theater (San Diego, California), where he wrote incidental music for over 200 productions there. In 1988, he joined the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and remained there as a professor of composition until his death. Susa became particularly known for his 5 operas. His 1973 chamber opera, Transformations, set to texts from the poems of Anne Sexton, is one of the most frequently performed operas by an American composer. His other compositions include choral works and incidental music for various plays. His music is published by the E.C. Schirmer Music Company. Selected works Operas Transformations (1973) Black River (1975, revised 1981) The Love of Don Perlimplin (1984) The Wise Women (1994) The Dangerous Liaisons (1994, revised 1996-97) Other works Hymns for the Amusement of Children (1972) Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest (1992) References External links San Francisco Conservatory of Music Library & Archives, Oral History Project, page on Conrad Susa 1935 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century classical composers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century classical composers 21st-century LGBT people American classical composers American male classical composers American opera composers Classical musicians from California LGBT classical composers Male opera composers People from Springdale, Pennsylvania Pupils of Vincent Persichetti Pupils of William Bergsma San Francisco Conservatory of Music faculty