Chicago Artopia Presents: Laura Snowden

Described by Classical Guitar Magazine as ‘linking guitar’s past, present and future’, Laura’s eclectic musical output has ranged from playing on Lorne Balfe's soundtrack for Marvel film Black Widow to recording Lisa Streich’s guitar concerto Augenlider with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin. Whilst a student at the RCM, Laura was selected for the Julian Bream Trust and subsequently studied with Julian for a number of years. She gave two concerts at Wigmore Hall for the Trust, featuring premieres of Julian’s new commissions by Olli Mustonen and Julian Anderson. This led to international recognition and festival debuts across Europe and the US, as well as concerto debuts with Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and Münchener Kammerorchester.

As a composer, Laura’s music has been performed at Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall and Sadlers Wells, commissioned by the Birmingham Symphony Hall, International Guitar Foundation and the Park Lane Group, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Scotland and Hong Kong Radio 4. Her work has been recorded for BGS Records, Rubicon Classics and Centaur Records, and her exam pieces are published by ABRSM, London College of Music and Rockschool/Hal Leonard.

Laura has collaborated closely with her folk group Tir Eolas; after releasing their debut album Stories Sung Truths Told, the band toured numerous UK shows and festivals including Cambridge Folk Festival, Bestival, and Shakespeare’s Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the invitation of John Williams. Other collaborations include creating and recording guitar arrangements for Noah and the Whale frontman Charlie Fink’s album ‘Cover My Tracks’, and recording a new work for voice and guitar by Josephine Stephenson on the debut album by acclaimed soprano Héloïse Werner.

Laura’s international concert appearances have included the Guitar Foundation of America, New York Classical Guitar Society, Long Island Guitar Festival, Upstate New York Guitar Festival, Uppsala International Guitar Festival, the Volterra Project in Italy and the Guitar and Lute Festival in Sweden. She has given classes at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Birmingham Conservatoire, Yale University, the Purcell School, Brussels Conservatoire, Mannes School of Music and Manhattan School of Music, and currently teaches at the Royal College of Music Junior Department. She plays a guitar made by Christopher Dean.

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