Established electric music composer and sound designer Suzanne Ciani embraced her alma mater in a live performance in Alumnae Hall on Friday, Sept. 19. The musician, a member of the Class of 1968, was welcomed by a crowd of enthusiastic Wellesley College students and fans across the region. The five-time Grammy nominee was invited as part of the Wellesley Arts 150 Celebration — a three-day commemoration of the College’s creative legacy.
When asked about her early encounters with electronic music, Ciani shared that her first exposure to the concept of electronic composition was in her shared class at MIT.
“There was a professor trying to make a sound electronically, with the computer,” she shared excitedly — a revolutionary step. Her time at MIT marked the explorational relationship between technology and music.
After graduating from Wellesley, Ciani attended the University of California, Berkley to pursue her master’s degree in composition. “I went to work for Don Buchla, so I left Wellesley. [The Buchla instrument, invented by Don Buchla] was from the West Coast, so it was lucky [that] I moved,” she stated. California served as the artist’s muse as she gave new meaning to sound.
When asked how her identity has played into her musical expression, Ciani highlighted her feeling of connection with the natural world as a woman.
“I think that’s something subconscious. We have a different inner clock, and a different sensitivity. My inspiration is the ocean, my music. I embrace slow, long shapes as opposed to dance. I like to do sensual, long, slow things, but I can make noise, too, especially with electronics.”
Ciani further gave insight into her journey in the creative field as she advises younger artists to go after their creative vision. “I think in my own life, what I learned is that […] you figure out what it is that you want, and then you realize that you can get it. You just have to want it, a lot,” she urged.
When reflecting back to her time at Wellesley, Ciani drove greater attention to changes in campus culture and connectivity. “Coming back to Wellesley is just so invigorating this time because the student body is much more interesting than it was when I was here. It was more homogeneous, and it’s so joyous now to see all this cultural diversity and the brightness!”
Ciani is currently planning a collaboration with electric artist Darren Cunningham, also known professionally as Actress. Their primary focus will be on the amalgamation of sensual music and beats, and a live performance is set to take place later this year in Barbican Centre in London. Ciani continues to tour across the globe, with performances spanning from Philadelphia to Athens, Greece.
“I’m a composer. I’ve been a composer all my life.”
The public can access Ciani’s work online or through the Davis Museum’s Freedman Gallery. The “Suzanne Ciani: Sound Lounge” offers a sit down experience for listeners to slow down and connect with art on campus. The exhibit is organized by Dr. Amanda Gilvin, Interim Co-Director, Sonja Novak Koerner ’51 Senior Curator of Collections, and Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs. The exhibit will be open from Sept. 21, 2025 to Dec. 14, 2025.
