Susie Shortt Music

Dani Lonkey
Apr 5
3 min read

Meet Susie

Susie Shortt is an award-winning violinist, composer, arranger, studio musician, and music educator with an impressive career spanning over two decades. With formal training from the University of Tennessee and Berklee College of Music, she is classically trained yet incredibly versatile across all genres. Throughout her career, Susie has performed alongside and been featured with major names and productions including the American Music Awards, Oprah Winfrey, Barry Manilow, The Temptations Review, and more. Based in Las Vegas and traveling across the Southern and Western U.S., she brings both experience and heart to every performance. Outside of music, Susie enjoys riding motorcycles, collecting vinyl records, cooking, and even fly fishing, bringing a vibrant, adventurous spirit into both her life and her work.

The Business

Susie Shortt Music has been in business since 2000, offering professional live music services for weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings. What started as a side hustle quickly became a full-time career after Susie followed her passion and turned her love for the violin into a thriving business.

She offers a wide range of performance options including solo violin, duos (violin/cello, guitar, harp, piano), trios, and full string quartets, allowing couples and clients to fully customize their musical experience. In addition to weddings and events, Susie is also a dedicated music educator, offering both in-person and online lessons across multiple instruments including violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, piano, mandolin, and ukulele. She also works as a composer, arranger, and studio musician.

Passion & Purpose

For Susie, music is far more than a career, it’s a calling. She is deeply passionate about the connections she builds with her clients, often working with couples months or even years before their big day. By the time the wedding arrives, it feels like a reunion. She pours her heart into every performance, often finding herself moved to tears during ceremonies. Creating those emotional, once-in-a-lifetime moments is what drives her, and she considers it a true blessing to do what she loves every day.

Services & What's New

Susie’s wedding services are her most popular offering, and she is already nearly booked out for 2026. She provides customized music experiences for every type of celebration, from grand weddings to more intimate moments. She is now offering new packages specifically designed for elopements and micro-weddings, perfect for couples looking for a more personal and meaningful ceremony without sacrificing the beauty of live music.

Beyond weddings, Susie is expanding her online music lessons, working on new albums, and even writing a memoir about her incredible journey in the music industry.

A Journey Built On Passion

Susie’s journey is one of resilience and passion. After being laid off from a legal career and going through a major life transition, she asked herself one simple question: What makes me happy? The answer was always the violin.

With determination, she used her savings to build her business from the ground up, traveling to Las Vegas, knocking on doors, and creating opportunities for herself. That bold leap paid off, and today she is a respected professional with deep roots in the wedding and music industry. As a one-woman business, Susie handles everything herself, balancing a demanding schedule with her love for performing and teaching. Her goals include growing her national presence, expanding her reach in the wedding industry, and continuing to share her gift of music with even more people.