Biography
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An official biography, suitable for programs. Updated December, 2010.
Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed two operas, an oratorio and over 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets, among them the lost voices of poets who perished in the Holocaust. "It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (The Journal of Singing)
Laitman’s full-length opera, The Scarlet Letter, to a new libretto of the Hawthorne classic by American poet David Mason, was commissioned and performed by the University of Central Arkansas in 2008 to critical acclaim. Excerpts from the opera were showcased at the Opera America Salon Series in New York in September 2010.
Laitman’s one-act opera, Come to Me in Dreams, was premiered by Cleveland Opera in 2004, and her oratorio, Vedem, a commission by Music of Remembrance (another collaboration with poet David Mason), saw its world premiere in May of 2010 in Seattle, WA. Laitman spoke about Vedem at Yale’s Institute for Sacred Music in September 2010 and Naxos will release a CD of the work in May 2011. Meanwhile, Laitman and Mason are poised to embark on their next project, the creation of a new opera based on Ludlow, Mason’s award-winning epic verse novel.
In February 2010, Laitman was the Featured Composer on Thomas Hampson's new online resource, Song of America. Last June, a retrospective concert of her music at SongFest in California featured the premiere of a work commissioned by the Sorel Organization. In October 2010, the composer was the guest of The International Conservatory Week Festival at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, where she presented performances of her music and conducted a master class.
Many of Laitman’s songs have entered the standard repertoire, including her settings of Abraham Sutzkever’s poems from the Vilna ghetto, The Seed of Dream (2004). Released on the Naxos label, the cycle was pronounced "a masterpiece that should not be missed!” (Journal of Singing). In 2009, acclaimed Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair performed the cycle in his native Austria and subsequently commissioned German and English settings of Paul Celan’s Todesfuge. In October 2010, renowned American countertenor Brian Asawa, accompanied by pianist Rudolf Jansen, performed Laitman’s The Silver Swan at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and in November 2010, celebrated American soprano Elizabeth Futral performed the composer’s Sunflowers with pianist William Billingham at a Samford University recital.
Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman’s music has been performed frequently in the U.S. and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
Her discography continues to grow and her four solo CDs have received enthusiastic reviews. The composer’s latest, Within These Spaces (2009), is receiving exceptional praise: “One hundred years hence, when critics look back at the art songs of our era, there will be many fine composers to laud and applaud, but few will deserve higher praise than Lori Laitman.” (The Journal of Singing); “This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul.” (American Record Guide); “Her affinity for the voice…is beyond doubt…her songs represent outpourings of great beauty.” (Fanfare Magazine)
Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, artsongs.com, and on Amazon and ITunes.
For more information, please visit www.artsongs.com and http://www.scarletletteropera.com/
Laitman’s full-length opera, The Scarlet Letter, to a new libretto of the Hawthorne classic by American poet David Mason, was commissioned and performed by the University of Central Arkansas in 2008 to critical acclaim. Excerpts from the opera were showcased at the Opera America Salon Series in New York in September 2010.
Laitman’s one-act opera, Come to Me in Dreams, was premiered by Cleveland Opera in 2004, and her oratorio, Vedem, a commission by Music of Remembrance (another collaboration with poet David Mason), saw its world premiere in May of 2010 in Seattle, WA. Laitman spoke about Vedem at Yale’s Institute for Sacred Music in September 2010 and Naxos will release a CD of the work in May 2011. Meanwhile, Laitman and Mason are poised to embark on their next project, the creation of a new opera based on Ludlow, Mason’s award-winning epic verse novel.
In February 2010, Laitman was the Featured Composer on Thomas Hampson's new online resource, Song of America. Last June, a retrospective concert of her music at SongFest in California featured the premiere of a work commissioned by the Sorel Organization. In October 2010, the composer was the guest of The International Conservatory Week Festival at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, where she presented performances of her music and conducted a master class.
Many of Laitman’s songs have entered the standard repertoire, including her settings of Abraham Sutzkever’s poems from the Vilna ghetto, The Seed of Dream (2004). Released on the Naxos label, the cycle was pronounced "a masterpiece that should not be missed!” (Journal of Singing). In 2009, acclaimed Austrian baritone Wolfgang Holzmair performed the cycle in his native Austria and subsequently commissioned German and English settings of Paul Celan’s Todesfuge. In October 2010, renowned American countertenor Brian Asawa, accompanied by pianist Rudolf Jansen, performed Laitman’s The Silver Swan at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and in November 2010, celebrated American soprano Elizabeth Futral performed the composer’s Sunflowers with pianist William Billingham at a Samford University recital.
Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman’s music has been performed frequently in the U.S. and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
Her discography continues to grow and her four solo CDs have received enthusiastic reviews. The composer’s latest, Within These Spaces (2009), is receiving exceptional praise: “One hundred years hence, when critics look back at the art songs of our era, there will be many fine composers to laud and applaud, but few will deserve higher praise than Lori Laitman.” (The Journal of Singing); “This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul.” (American Record Guide); “Her affinity for the voice…is beyond doubt…her songs represent outpourings of great beauty.” (Fanfare Magazine)
Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, artsongs.com, and on Amazon and ITunes.
For more information, please visit www.artsongs.com and http://www.scarletletteropera.com/