CHARIS Staff
Michaela Cruse
Interim Artistic Director
Michaela Cruse is a St. Louis based certified K–12 teacher, houseplant enthusiast, and proud dog mom. After graduating from Webster University in 2020, shebegan her adventures as a music teacher. She currently teaches middle school music at North Side Community School, works with CHARIS, the St. Louis Women’s Chorus as their Interim Artistic Director (and enthusiastic Alto 1), and collaborates 1:1 with private students in her music studio to learn skills in voice and piano, and likely a bit of emotional regulation.
Susan Young
Accompanist
Susan Young loves playing the piano and being part of this wonderfully supportive organization. She has accompanied the chorus under the direction of Merry Keller, Aric Henson, Claire Minnis, Jeremiah Selvey, Dr. Stuart Chapman Hill, and Michaela Cruse.
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Some of Susan's favorite musical memories outside of the regular concert venue include playing for both CHARIS and the Gateway Men's Chorus at GALA chorus festivals, rehearsing with Holly Near for the CHARIS 10th anniversary concert, and giving a smashing performance of the Claude Bolling Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano, along with CHARIS member and flutist, Loretta Haggard, at the 2018 CHARIS Showcase.
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Susan has accompanied high school soloists and small ensembles at various state competitions, and reports are that she remained characteristically unflappable when sight-reading the piano part for a flute trio that seemed to have misplaced their own accompanist.
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Susan continues to explore piano music written and performed by women who were as awesome as male composers of the time, but who didn't get nearly as much publicity, such as Irene Giblin, Cecile Chaminade and Alicia de Larrocha.
