Susan D. Mandel's diverse interests have led to a career focused in new music and collaboration. As a cellist, Susan has been active in the studio with performance credits on numerous albums and film scores including Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) directed by Shaka King, scored by Mark Isham and Craig Harris, Here Today (2021) directed by Billy Crystal, scored by Charlie Rosen, and Nian (2021) directed by Lulu Wang, scored by Alex Weston. 2019-20’s season included performances at (le) Poisson Rouge, Playstation Theater, Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn Bowl, Rockwood Music Hall, Webster Hall, and the Highline Ballroom. She has credited performances with major label artists including Alicia Keys, Cynthia Erivo, Hozier, eminem, Skylar Grey, Pharoahe Monch, Lady A, Amine, gnash, and Tori Kelly on NBC's Today Show, Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
As an avid chamber musician with passion for contemporary music, Susan has performed with some of New York City’s most accomplished artists. Susan has appeared regularly with Broadway Sinfonietta, Brooklyn Orchestra, LoftOpera, and the Chelsea Symphony. She is an active musician in Broadway and off-Broadway, including as a chair-holder and principal player on Ratatouille the Musical, Rocktopia, Pretty Woman at Nederlander Theater, and with the Broadway Sinfonietta.
Susan is a graduate of New York University for both her Bachelors and Masters degrees where she pursued a combination degree in Music Performance and Entertainment Business Administration. Her extensive administrative experience includes employment at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Concert Artists Guild, Inc.. She currently a guest lecturer at NYU Clive Davis, and formally as a Teaching Artist with Youth Orchestra of St. Luke's, and the Dream Unfinished activist orchestra. In addition, she is the Founder & Executive Director of Ambra Artists, a boutique, live music contracting service that priorities the employment and hiring of women musician, particularly BIPOC. As a music contractor, she has coordinated 40 piece orchestral recording sessions with clients such as MLB and Sonos Radio Sessions.