IAbout IIShows IIIEvents IVReviews VSue's Views VIEducator VIIContact

· About

A career, in song.

Sue Matsuki has spent four decades singing the Great American Songbook in the rooms that built it — and, to her own surprise, became a teacher whose advice performers actually keep.

Sue Matsuki — portrait

I Her Story

Forty years of small rooms.

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Birdland Feinstein's / 54 Below Carnegie Hall The Cutting Room Don't Tell Mama Pangea
Sue Matsuki — in performance

· Meet My Band

The room behind the voice.

Sue Matsuki and her band

Gregory Toroian

Musical Director & Pianist

A musical director, arranger, jazz pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and educator.

Full bio

Featured in Cabaret Scenes magazine and the 2020 Bistro Award winner for Outstanding Collaboration with Sue Matsuki, with whom he also won a MAC Award for Best Duo Production. He has worked with Tony Bennett, Jon Hendricks, Cab Calloway, Donna Summer, Melissa Errico, Marilyn Maye, Karen Mason, and Jane Olivor, and has played nearly every jazz club and cabaret in New York. He has toured with principal dancers from the New York City Ballet and appeared on the Today Show and Maury Povich. He currently offers a range of performance workshops.

GregoryToroian.com

Skip Ward

Bass

A Grammy Award-winning bassist, guitarist, ukulele-ist, lap steel, tuba, and penny whistle artist — a classically-trained jazz musician with a penchant for rock 'n' roll, fusion, blues, and bluegrass.

Full bio

He has played and recorded with Tony Trischka, Steve Martin, Phoebe Snow, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Cyndi Lauper, Cassandra Wilson, Melissa Manchester, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and has appeared on Letterman, SNL, and Ellen. His Broadway and national-tour credits include Million Dollar Quartet, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line, and West Side Story.

David Silliman

Drums & Percussion

A drummer and percussionist whose middle name should be "versatility." Whether accompanying Mariah Carey, Cassandra Wilson, and the legendary Blossom Dearie or playing with Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda, David's rhythmic energy adds color and mood to any performance — and he is just as comfortable in a Broadway pit or with the New Jersey Symphony.

Full bio

His playing has taken him to festivals in Italy, Vienna, Berlin, the North Sea, Monterey, Uruguay, and Lithuania. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he began in the classical field before moving into jazz, Latin jazz, Brazilian, and funk.

II From Sue

“A teaching career found me — I didn't go looking for it.”

Sue Matsuki

III The Book & Press Kit

A field guide, and the kit.

Cover · So You Want to Sing Cabaret

Author

So You Want to Sing Cabaret

A working singer's field guide. Practical, candid, and built from forty years on the floor — for performers who care about the craft.

Where to buy →
PDF

Sue Matsuki — Press Kit (EPK)

Bio, photos, and links.

Download ↓

IV Recognition

What the rooms have said.

  • 4× MAC Award nominee
  • BroadwayWorld nominee
  • Author, So You Want to Sing Cabaret

V Stay Close

Notes from the room.

Show announcements, new episodes of Sue's Views, and the occasional backstage story.

For bookings & press, write booking@suematsuki.com