Susan Allen, harpist, died at 64

  Dead Famous

Susan Allen, born on May 10, 1951 and died September 7, 2015 from brain cancer.

Allen was an American harpist and Associate Dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts.

After studies at CalArts, she moved to Boston where she founded the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Cambridge Chamber Players, Marblehead Music Festival, and Composers in Red Sneakers.

She went on to perform all over the world and can be heard on many recordings, some of them anonymously as movie soundtracks.

Allen played the concert harp, the electric harp and the Kayagum (Korean zither) and commissioned over 200 new works, while maintaining a busy academic life.

At the time of her early death, Susan was associate dean for academic affairs at her alma mater, Calarts.

Allen, who died of brain cancer in Seattle on Saturday, she was a passionate performer of contemporary music and a disciple of Pierre Boulez.