“I view the instrument I play not as an object to be mastered, but as a partner with which to share with the listener a meaning”: Pioneering pedal steel guitar virtuoso Susan Alcorn has died aged 71

Susan Alcorn playing the pedal steel guitar.

Pedal steel guitar virtuoso, composer, and improviser Susan Alcorn, who played an important role in broadening the horizons of the instrument beyond country, Hawaiian music, and traditional folk music, died in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 31 at the age of 71 due to natural causes.

Born on April 4, 1953, Alcorn was raised in a musical family, surrounded by the music of Beethoven, Brahms, Ella Fitzgerald, and Glenn Miller. One of her earliest musical memories was being taken to a symphony performance during her elementary school years. "That was the highlight of the year as I remember it. I loved hearing all those instruments live in the concert hall," she told Baker Artist.