Susie Ibarra, percussionist and composer lives in New York City. She received a music diploma from Mannes College of Music and B.A. from Goddard College. Susie Ibarra studied Kulintang with Danongan Kalanduyan and drum set with Buster Smith, Vernel Fournier and Milford Graves.

As a percussionist, she has performed southeast Asian gong music, jazz, avant-garde, improvised and solo concert works. She has performed with many great artists such as John Zorn, Dave Douglas Pauline Oliveros, Derek Bailey, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, William Parker, Dr. L Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurti, John Lindberg, Wadada Leo Smith, Mark Dresser, Thurston Moore, Savath and Savalas, Prefuse 73, Yo La Tengo, among others.

Susie Ibarra has taught across the U.S and attended. Artist Residencies including: The Walker Art Center, Mills College, Bard College, Swarthmore College, Fundacio Joan Miro, University of Michigan, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, The New School.

She was nominated "Best Drummer" in the Village Voice, Downbeat, Jazziz, The Wire. Susie Ibarra is a Yamaha, Paiste & Vic Firth Artist.

She currently performs solo works and with Susie Ibarra Trio with Jennifer Choi & Craig Taborn; Mephista, collective electro-acoustic trio with Sylvie Couvoisier & Ikue Mori; Shapechanger with poet Yusef Komunyakaa; Mark Dresser & Susie Ibarra Duo; Mundo Ninos children’s music; and Filipino trance music, with Roberto Rodriguez, Electric Kulintang.

Selected Discography

Folkloriko, Susie Ibarra, Tzadik Records, Composer Series
Flower after Flower, Susie Ibarra, Tzadik Records Composer Series
SongBird Suite, Susie Ibarra Trio, Tzadik Records
Entomological Reflections, Mephista, Tzadik Records, Composer Series
Black Narcissus, Mephista, Tzadik Records
Daedal & Bids, Derek Bailey & Susie Ibarra, Incus Records
Tone Time, Mark Dresser & Susie Ibarra, Wobbly Rail Records
Radiance, Susie Ibarra Trio, Hopscotch Records
Dreaming Wide Awake, Pauline Oliveros New Circle Five, Deep Listening Records
Zorn, Ibarra, Smith 8, John Zorn’s 50th Birthday Series, Tzadik Records
Lake Biwa, Wadada Leo Smith Orchesra, Tzadik Records, Composer Series
El Trilogy, Dave Douglas & Trisha Brown, RCA Victor Records
Cobra, John Zorn, Tzadik Records, Composer Series
And then everything turned itself inside out, Yo La Tengo, Matador Records
Nuclear War, Yo La Tengo, Matador Records
Go See the World, David S. Ware, SONY Columbia Records
Peach Orchard, William Parker, In Order to Survive, AUM Fidelity
Passagio, Sylvie Courvoisier, Joelle Leandre & Susie Ibarra, Intakt Records

Selected Works

Fractals, solo drum work premiered at Tampere Jazz Happening 2000
SongBird Suite, premiered work Susie Ibarra Trio at Walker Art Center, 2000
Parallel Worlds commission for film, Parallel Worlds by Yan Jin 200
Susie Ibarra Quartet premiered Galak, Dulce, Baliktad at The Yerba Buena Arts Center CA 2001
Lakbay, Susie Ibarra Trio commissioned for Smithsonian Institute 2002
Electric Kulintang premiere Concert of Colors MI 2002
Balakbayan premiered at the Diego Rivera Courtyard, Detroit Institute of the Arts, 2003
Shangri-La, new opera work collaborated with librettist Yusef Komunyakaa,
commissioned for music/libretto workshopat Passage Theatre, NJ June 2003
Mundo Ninos, music for children Roberto Rodriguez & Susie Ibarra, 2003
Tone Time, Mark Dresser & Susie Ibarra, 2003
Procession, Air for Mephista 2003
Golden Dream, commissioned piece for The Kitchen House Blend May 2004
Anitos, percussion duet, Tzadik Records, Jan 2004
Music for 10 percussionists, University of Michigan Oct 2004
Shangri-la, operatic work, with poet and librettist Yusef Komunyakaa,
Vocal residency at Union College January 2005
2 week residency, work in progress conducted by Tania Leon, directed by Mariah Maloney, visual art by Makoto Fujumura at The Kitchen April 2005
Shapechanger ensemble of poetry and music with Yusef Komunyakaa Indiana University February 2005
Music for Electric Kulintang with Roberto Rodriguez University of Mass. April 2005