Susan J. Guse

Susan J. Guse received a B.A. in Music from Smith College and a Master’s in Sacred Music from Wittenberg University.  She has held positions at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dayton, Ohio and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to the Poughkeepsie, N.Y. area in1989. 

She initially started at St. John’s as the Director of Children’s Choir and developed a graded system of children’s choirs before taking over as Organist/Choir Director in 1998.  Currently Director of Music Ministries at St. John’s, she plays the organ, directs the adult choir and five handbell choirs, and oversees the children’s choir program, a string ensemble, as well as a recorder ensemble and brass ensemble. 

In 1991 and 2000 she was Children’s Choir Director for the Interfaith Music Festival and in 2003 she was Director of the Tri-county Children’s Choir Festival (Dutchess, Orange and Rockland Counties).  At the 2005 American Guild of Organists Regional Convention, she was a clinician on the subject of children’s choirs and in 2006 and 2007 chair of the Hudson Valley Handbell Festival held in Nyack, NY.  Susan is past a board member of the American Guild of Organists, and currently serves as New York State Representative on the board of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. 

Susan teaches piano and organ in the Hudson Valley and lives in Hopewell Junction with her husband Mike and their family, including three sons and three (female) dogs.