Susan Ann Nichols Thomson

Susan passed away peacefully at home surrounded by loving family and friends the early morning of July 18, 2020 at the age of 65. She lives on through the hundreds of music students she taught. A Regents, National Merit, and Eastman School of Music scholarship winner, she went on to earn advanced degrees from Florida State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she was a Holderness Doctoral Fellow. She was winner of the Vienna Modern Masters Competition, and radio broadcasts of her performances have been featured throughout the U.S. Some of her notable piano teachers include Frank Glazer, Arminda Canteros, and John Salmon. Susan was named to the National Honor Roll of Piano Guild Teachers and performed with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra. She served on the faculty at both campuses of Georgia Southern University where she frequently performed as a soloist and accompanist. Her recordings include Fantasy Rondo by Lukas Foss, who was the subject of her doctoral thesis.

She is survived by her husband Douglass, sister Mollie, daughter Caitlin, and granddaughter Ella.

A funeral service will be held at Skidaway Island United Methodist Church, Savannah, Georgia on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 11:00 am.

Masks will be required, and social distancing will be practiced.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to the Dean’s Fund for Piano at the Eastman School of Music.  Donations may be made out to Eastman School of Music and mailed to Eastman Advancement Office, 26 Gibbs Street, Rochester, NY 14604, esm.rochester.edu/gift or given to the St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundation towards the Lewis Cancer Research Pavilion, 5356 Reynolds Street, Suite 400, Savannah, Georgia 31405.