News
Summer 2008
Laura travels to England this summer to record composer Michael Daugherty’s multi-conductor symphonic poem Time Machine for Naxos with Marin Alsop and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. This piece calls for an orchestra divided into three groups, each with a separate conductor. Laura's friend Mei-Ann Chen is also assisting. Around the edges of her trip, Laura will explore two great European cities—Barcelona and Paris.
Spring 2008
Laura is thrilled to have been named a finalist in the music director searches at the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra and Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. Along with the Berkeley Symphony and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, Laura is now in the finals of four searches. (Concert information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.)
Winter 2008
Laura starts the New Year with trips to Wyoming, Alabama, and Sacramento and is looking forward to her collaboration with composer Susan Botti, especially performances of her orchestral poem Translucence. She'll also conduct the world premiere of Daron Aric Hagen's Masquerade: Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra with Sharon Robinson (cello) and Jaime Laredo (violin). As a young violinist, Laura was inspired by Laredo's musicality. She will also revisit some of her closest musical friends — Dvorak's Sixth Symphony (Wyoming) — as well as doing something new — her first complete performance of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique (Sacramento).
Fall 2007
Laura has been having a fantastic time visiting orchestras throughout the country, from the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca New York, to the New World Symphony in Miami, to the Billings Symphony in Montana. She's logging those frequent flyer miles and having a great experience with many fine musicians, passionate about making great music. She's been asked to join three additional music director searches for a total of five.
Summer 2007
Laura has been named a finalist in two music director searches— the Berkeley Symphony (Berkeley, California) and Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (Ithaca, New York). She is looking forward to a full summer of six concerts with the Atlanta Symphony and has new invitations for guest appearances with Cayuga and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Spring 2007
Laura is getting ready for her next interactive 360 concert — Thursday, May 10 — an exciting program with Stravinsky's Firebird and Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice (made famous by Mickey Mouse in Disney's Fantasia). Her ASO subscription is the very next week -- on May 17,18, and 19 -- and features the Brahms Fourth Symphony, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and the regional premiere of John Harbison's Concerto for Double Bass, with ASO principal bassist Ralph Jones. Laura has a deep love for both the Prokofiev and Brahms works especially. Also, the innovative Berkeley Symphony of Berkeley California has just announced that Laura is one of three candidates to replace Kent Nagano as music director. She will conduct a subscription program on April 2, 2008 with works by Milhaud, Rimsky-Korsakov and Susan Botti. Other guest appearances for 2008 will include the Alabama, Atlanta, Boca Raton, and Sacramento Symphonies.
Fall–Winter 2006/07
Details are firming up for Laura's 06–07 performances with the Atlanta Symphony (see Concerts). Plans for 2007 include a second classical subscription concert (featuring Johannes Brahms's Fourth Symphony), three 360 Series concerts (Stravinsky's Firebird, Beethoven 6, and Dvorak's New World Symphony), and guest appearances with the Winnipeg, Toronto, and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras.
Summer 2006
Laura performed eight programs with the Atlanta Symphony, including a week-long festival of film music and classical performances at Piedmont Park, Wills Park, Perry, and Statesboro, and other venues around Georgia (see Concerts). Her debut with the Baltimore Symphony at Oregon Ridge on July 29 attracted an audience of over 7,000 for a concert titled "Silver Screen Sensations." Its finale ending featured a fantastic fireworks display choreographed to John Williams's Star Wars.
Winter 2006
Laura performed her subscription
concert debut for the Atlanta Symphony with pianist Stephen Kovacevich
in an all-Mozart program celebrating the 250th anniversary of the composer's
birth (see review). An impromptu addition
to the program was a rendition of "Happy Birthday" with the audience
singing along. Her review was a winner. Leading up to this performance was a
Martin Luther King Celebration performance in Toccoa, Georgia. A fantastic coaching
session with Robert Spano and the ASO in preparation gave Laura new insight into
the mental game of conducting. In February, Laura guest conducts the Alabama
Symphony and begins her Symphony
360 Series performances with Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
Fall 2005
A highlight of the fall was conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra in two
movements from Brahms 1 in an ASOL conducting fellows workshop with Maestro Christoph
Eschenbach. The orchestra's ability to sustain a rich sound and Eschenbach's
encouragement to receive that beauty were transformative. Laura began her series
of Youth Program Concerts celebrating music in our day-to-day lives.
Summer 2005
Laura conducted ten concerts of nine separate programs with the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra, including two programs on the "Made in America" series
(Gershwin and Dvorak/Ives/Copland), the 2005-06 Sampler Concert (selections
from Tchaikovsky 6, Brahms 1, and Beethoven 5, etc.), and one of the ASO's
annual concert in Piedmont Park--Atlanta's urban oasis. A particular highlight
for Laura was performing Stravinky's humourous and virtuosic Dumbarton
Oaks in two programs. She also spent a week observing Robert Spano's
preparations for Wagner's Ring with the Seattle Opera.
Spring 2005
As recipient of the Taki Concordia Fellowship, Laura spent a week with Marin
Alsop and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, sharing the podium with Alsop
on a subscription series, she performed Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
Laura kicked off the Symphony 360 series in a performance of Beethoven's
Fifth Symphony (she'll conduct the entire four-concert series in 2005-06),
partnering with local personality Bill Nigut to offer an innovative and
interactive program aimed at introducing adult audiences to the ins and
outs of symphonic performances.
Winter 2005
Wrapped up the year with a fun performance with Peter Schikele, aka. "PDQ
Bach,"
and the Atlanta Symphony. In February, she guest conducted the Alabama
Symphony Orchestra. On February 28, Laura
completed her Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of
Michigan School of Music.
Fall 2004
Laura began her appointment with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and conducted
the Houston Symphony in a masterclass with music director Hans Graf as
part of the ASOL fellowship. She conducted the first of 18 Young People's
Concerts—"Classical Music: A Matter of Style."
Summer 2004
Laura's work is featured
on a new CD release of the Boston Symphony Orchestra produced by Anthony
Fogg to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Seiji Ozawa Hall. "Seiji
Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood" includes two movements from Augusta
Reed Thomas's Spirit Musings featuring
Marc Rovetti, violin solo, conducted by Laura in summer 2003. In July,
Laura spent her first week cover conducting for Robert Spano during the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's summer festival. In her spare time, Laura
has completed her doctoral dissertation and ran
her first 5K races.
Spring
2004
Laura has been appointed American Symphony
Orchestra League (ASOL) Conducting Fellow for the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra and will be joining the organization in September
to train under Music Director Robert
Spano. She will be conducting the orchestra's
Young People's
Concerts and covering all subscription performances.
Laura will be introduced by the ASOL at its upcoming national conference
in Pittsburgh in June. She conducted her last concert with the University
of Michigan's Life Sciences Orchestra — and inspiring and devoted ensemble.
She also served as guest conductor for the All State Orchestra in her home
state of New Hampshire.
Winter 2003–04
Laura achieved candidacy in the Orchestral Conducting Doctoral Program at the
University of Michigan School of Music, where she studies with Kenneth
Kiesler. She will complete her remaining performance requirements while
in Atlanta and graduate in December 2004. Highlights of the past few months
include concerts with the Life
Sciences Orchestra, the New Hampshire All-State Orchestra, and a fully
staged performance of Mozart's Don
Giovanni with
the UM
School of Music Opera Theatre. In addition, she was one of four conductors
selected to conduct the Buffalo Philharmonic as part of the ASOL's
Don Thulean Conducting Workshop where she coached with JoAnn Falletta and Jorge
Mester.
Fall 2003
Laura returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan where she served as Music Director of
the University of Michigan's
Life Sciences Orchestra. She performed Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi
d'un faune with the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra as well
as selections from Ravel's Ma Mere l'Oye for the annual Halloween
Concert. She spent a week as cover conductor to Carl St. Clair for the Pacific
Symphony in Orange
County, California.
Summer 2003
Laura was the Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood
Music Center and led two
concerts with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra (see reviews)
as well as three other performances. She assisted Stefan Asbury in
the world premiere production of Robert Zuidam's newest opera Rage
d'amours and
performed in masterclasses and seminars with Roberto Abbado, Rafael
Frühbeck
de Burgos, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Hans Graf, Kurt Masur, Michael Morgan,
and Robert Spano.
Spring 2003
Laura conducted selections from Brahms' Third Symphony with
the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the three-week National
Conducting Institute founded by Leonard Slatkin. At the Institute,
Laura worked with Mr. Slatkin, as well as conductor Elizabeth Schultz,
executive director Rita Shapiro, and members of the NSO staff.
Spring 2003
Laura participated in the spring conducting workshop sponsored by the American
Symphony Orchestra League, working with Carl St. Clair, Alasdair Neale,
and Barbara Yahr. She conducted Handel's opera Xerxes at the UM School
of Music.
Fall 2002
Laura began her doctorate
at the University
of Michigan School of Music with Kenneth
Kiesler and was named Music Director of the University of Michigan's
Life Sciences Orchestra. (See the orchestra's website
for more information.)
Spring 2002
Laura participated
in the Spring conducting workshop sponsored by the American
Symphony Orchestra League, working with Victor Yampolsky and Christopher
Wilkinson. She also completed her Master's Degree in Orchestral Conducting at
the University of Michigan School of Music.
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