A graduate of Royal College of Music, Sue is a past winner of the British Clarinet and Saxophone Society Young Performers Competition and a Royal Overseas Woodwind Finalist. She has studied with Kyle Horch, Richard Ingham, Eugene Rousseau (Hamamatsu International Wind Festival, Japan), and Phil Bancroft.

Sue has regularly been an invited solo recitalist at the British Saxophone Congress and has performed on Yehudi Menuhin's "Live Music Now!" scheme and at the World Saxophone Congress (Minneapolis, USA).

As one of Scotland's leading contemporary saxophonists she has given UK and Scottish premieres of many new works for saxophone (Gavin Bryars, Graham Fitkin, Joe Duddell, Karen Tanaka and Amy Quate).

Sue has performed and recorded with Salsa Celtica (Discos León Records), James Ross (Greentrax Records), Haftor Medboe Group (Linn Records) and US based Unknown Prophets
She is also a member of new world music trio "Alexander, McKenzie and McKay".

Recordings include -

"The Road Less Travelled" by Unknown Prophets

"The Gloom on my Soul" by James Ross

"In Perpetuity" with Haftor Medboe Group

Performances include -

Celtic Connections

St. Albans International Organ Festival

Edinburgh Fringe Festival (with the National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain)

Manchester Jazz Festival

Festival Inter Folk, Lugo (Spain)

The Fruitmarket, Glasgow

Glasgow's West End Festival

30cc Festival (Belgium)

Departure Lounge

Isle of Wight Jazz Festival

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

The International Festival Cosmopolis (Greece)

Celebr8 with Scottish Ballet (Theatre Royal, Tramway)

Wychwood Festival

The Jazz Centre, Edinburgh

Perth Concert Hall

Tron Theatre, Glasgow

The Sage Gateshead

Sound 2005, Banchory

Islington Academy

BBC Radio 2

Henry's Jazz Cellar

Radio Scotland

Rite of Spring Festival (Reykjavik)

Rart (Denmark)

The Tolbooth, Stirling

An Tobar, Mull

Usher Hall, Edinburgh (supporting Bill Frissell) Queen's Hall, Edinburgh (supporting E.S.T)

"Mckenzie's strength is the purity of her sound"
Kenny Mathieson, The Scotsman

"with the vibrant tones of Sue McKenzie’s soprano sax adding a contrasting touch of tartness"
Sue Wilson, The Scotsman

"Outstandingly talented", "her commitment to contemporary music rings loud and clear"

The List

"thoughtful, jazz-inflected "The Gloom on My Soul", featuring a superb soprano sax solo from Sue McKenzie"

Rambles.net

"bold and vibrant sax lines provided by Susan McKenzie"

Acoustic Sounds,Inc.

"Beautiful and evocative playing"

World Saxophone Congress

Sue plays a Selmer Mark 6 Alto (Selmer D mouthpiece/Claude Lakey mouthpiece), Yanagisawa Bronze 902 soprano saxophone (Yanagisawa 6 metal mouthpiece) and uses AMT TA2 Double Soprano Sax Microphone System.