Suzanne Banister

Suzanne Banister

Suzanne Banister has been a faculty member at CBC since 1986. She teaches Voice Lessons, Diction, Music Appreciation, and directs the Spring Musical.  She is a member of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and enjoys taking students to the Annual Statewide NATS Voice Competition every February.  Colleges and Universities all over Arkansas bring their best students to compete.  Throughout the years, Mrs. Banister has had many First, Second and Third place Winners from Central Baptist College.

Besides teaching, Mrs. Banister enjoys a regional career as a professional singer. As a soprano soloist, she has performed over 65 performances with various Regional Symphony Orchestras.  With the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, she has performed as soloist in ASO’s Masterworks, Family, Broadway and Chamber Series. She has also performed as a soloist in numerous concerts with the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra, Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra, South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Conway Symphony Orchestra, Lake Charles Messiah Orchestra, Opera Theater at Wildwood, New Orleans Opera, Little Rock Wind Symphony, Arkansas Chamber Singers, Arkansas Choral Society, and the Memphis Vocal Arts Ensemble. Mrs. Banister has been a past winner of the Arkansas Metropolitan Opera Auditions and appeared numerous times as a guest artist at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. Besides symphony and concert work, Mrs. Banister has spent many years as a soprano soloist doing church work at Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock, and singing High Holy Days Services each year at B’Nai Israel. Mrs. Banister has been featured on the CD “Alan Hovhaness; Music for Horn, Voice, and Strings” released in 2007 by Centaur Records, Inc. Suzanne Banister holds degrees in Vocal Performance from Louisiana College and Loyola University at New Orleans.

Suzanne Banister is married to Dr. Brad Banister, a local dentist.  They have 2 children; Bobby, who has worked in the Music Business Industry in Los Angeles, CA and now in Nashville, TN, and Elizabeth, who is a Dental Student at Tufts Dental School in Boston, MA.  Suzanne is an avid tennis player and is on multiple USTA Tennis Teams out of Little Rock.

Bachelor of Arts, Louisiana College

Master of Music, Loyola University at New Orleans