About the Festival Leadership

Nicholas Susi

Artistic Director, Southeastern Piano Festival

Described in The WholeNote as “an innovative musician and aggressive thinker with a gift for keyboard brilliance,” Dr. Nicholas Susi enjoys a multifaceted career living out his deep love of music. He recognizes that Classical music has been a transformative force in his life, and seeks to share its power with others through his teaching and performing.

As a teenager, Nicholas experienced a musical turning point upon discovering the music of Franz Liszt. Thrilled by the composer’s virtuoso music and inspirational biography, he became a lifelong super-fan of all things Liszt. Performances and projects centering around the Hungarian composer have been a recurring theme throughout Dr. Susi’s career. He has appeared as soloist in the concerti of Liszt with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, Taneycomo Festival Orchestra and Webster Symphony Orchestra, and he celebrated the composer’s bicentennial in 2011 with a series of performances of the complete Douze études d’exécution transcendante. In 2014, Susi advanced to the semifinals of the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition (Utrecht, The Netherlands) as one of two Americans selected worldwide to participate in this prestigious competition. Most recently, he made his debut as a published author in the 2020 edition of The Journal of the American Liszt Society; in his article, Susi offers an interdisciplinary reading of Liszt’s Legend no. 1 by intersecting theoretical analysis with Catholic iconography.

Dr. Susi’s research has been awarded grants from such organizations as the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), Mu Phi Epsilon Foundation, and Legacy Foundation for the Arts. These and other grants enabled him to travel, study and perform music across Europe; the experiences of researching Beethoven in Bonn, Debussy in Paris and Mozart in Vienna have been central to his development as a musician and to his cosmopolitan understanding of musical styles. Other noteworthy appearances abroad include recitals at the Cité universitaire de Paris, two all-Liszt concerts for the Princess von Hohenzollern at her castle in Namedy, Germany, and concerto solos with the Wiener Residenz Orchester and Symphonieorchester der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln.

Stateside, Dr. Susi’s career took off upon winning the 2015 National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Young Artist Competition. Winners of this competition receive two years of management, which resulted in performances, masterclasses, and lectures across the country. At the same time, Susi recorded and released his debut album, Scarlatti Now, to critical acclaim; in addition to international radio airplay, the disc was featured on the prestigious Critics’ Choice list (2017) of American Record Guide and was chosen as a 1st place winner of The American Prize in 2018.

Dr. Susi joined the University of South Carolina School of Music as Assistant Professor of Piano in 2022. He previously taught piano and music theory at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. He completed his doctorate at the University of Michigan, with previous studies at the University of Kansas and at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln as a two-time DAAD grantee. Primary teachers include Zena Ilyashov, Jack Winerock, Nina Tichman and Arthur Greene.

 

Caroline Earp

Executive Director, Southeastern Piano Festival

Caroline Earp is the Executive Director of the Southeastern Piano Festival and the Director of Alumni & Donor Engagement for the USC School of Music. A native of Charleston, SC, Caroline moved back to Columbia in 2018 after living in New York City for 13 years. While in New York she worked for 10 years at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, and she served as the Associate Administrative Director of the Vocal Arts Department at The Juilliard School for two academic years. After working briefly in the corporate world in NYC, Caroline realized her passion lies in advancement and arts administration for non-profits and academic institutions. She then decided to make the move back to South Carolina and loves working at the USC School of Music and being back in her home state. Caroline received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Columbia College, where she studied voice with Lanny Palmer and piano with Robyn Gibson.

She also is a certified QPR Gatekeeper and is certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid through the National Council for Mental Wellbeing to offer first level, stigma-free support to those struggling with a mental health or substance use challenge and linking them to the resources and help they need.

 

Elizabeth Churchya

Director of Operations, Southeastern Piano Festival

Elizabeth Churchya is a pianist, educator, and arts administrator recognized for her sensitive musicianship and dynamic leadership in the performing arts.

As an arts leader, Elizabeth has extensive experience managing large-scale programming, including international festivals, competitions, and concert series. Her work spans artist relations, communications, fundraising, community outreach, and audience engagement, with a focus on creating meaningful artistic experiences and sustaining vibrant arts communities.

An accomplished pianist, Elizabeth has performed throughout the United States and Europe and is a prizewinner in several international competitions. She was a finalist in the 2023 American Prize in Piano Performance (Concerto) and the Petrichor International Music Competition, and a prizewinner in the 2022 Charleston International Piano Competition. She has appeared as a soloist with the University of South Carolina Orchestra and the Christopher Newport University Orchestra. Her major mentors include Joseph Rackers, Phillip Bush, Lelia Sadlier, and Jeffrey Brown.

A dedicated educator, Elizabeth has taught courses in music history and film music at the University of South Carolina, where she designed and launched Introduction to Film Music, now a popular undergraduate elective. She is the recipient of the university’s 2023 Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award and maintains an active private studio of pre-college pianists, mentoring students from early development through advanced study; her students have earned honors from the Royal Conservatory of Music and prizes in regional competitions.
She currently serves as Director of Operations for the Southeastern Piano Festival and Executive Director of Sinfonia da Camera, where she leads strategic planning, artist coordination, and organizational development initiatives. Elizabeth holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of South Carolina.