Biography
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An official biography, suitable for programs. Updated April 12, 2010.
LORI LAITMAN is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed over 200 songs, setting the poetry of classical and contemporary poets from Emily Dickinson to Richard Wilbur, and has also created a unique body of music commemorating 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)
In June 2004, Cleveland Opera premiered Laitman’s one-act opera Come to Me In Dreams. Laitman recently completed her first full-length opera, The Scarlet Letter, to poet David Mason’s new libretto (based on the classic Hawthorne novel). The opera was commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas and premiered there on November 6, 2008 to critical acclaim.
2010 sees Laitman’s music gaining additional prominence in new and exciting projects. Laitman was the Featured Composer on Thomas Hampson’s Song of America website (www.songofamerica.net), and her works are featured on his timeline of American song. In addition, The Sorel Organization, dedicated to creating opportunities for women in music, has commissioned a work to premiere in June 2010 at the New Triad for Collaborative Arts’ showcase of her music at SongFest in Malibu, CA.
Laitman’s Holocaust oratorio Vedem, another collaboration with David Mason, premieres in May 2010 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. The oratorio, commissioned by Music of Remembrance, tells the story of the boys of Terezin and their secret journal. The work will be released on Naxos in the spring of 2011 and will be featured in a documentary by award-winning filmmaker John Sharify. Laitman and Mason are poised to begin work on a new opera, based on Mason’s epic verse novel, Ludlow.
Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman’s music has been performed frequently in the US 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 also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to give master classes on her music, and her music continues to be the subject of articles in leading industry publications.
Within These Spaces, Laitman’s newest solo CD, 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). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman’s Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement…[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."
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, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes.
Lori Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management. jona@jonarapoport.com
In June 2004, Cleveland Opera premiered Laitman’s one-act opera Come to Me In Dreams. Laitman recently completed her first full-length opera, The Scarlet Letter, to poet David Mason’s new libretto (based on the classic Hawthorne novel). The opera was commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas and premiered there on November 6, 2008 to critical acclaim.
2010 sees Laitman’s music gaining additional prominence in new and exciting projects. Laitman was the Featured Composer on Thomas Hampson’s Song of America website (www.songofamerica.net), and her works are featured on his timeline of American song. In addition, The Sorel Organization, dedicated to creating opportunities for women in music, has commissioned a work to premiere in June 2010 at the New Triad for Collaborative Arts’ showcase of her music at SongFest in Malibu, CA.
Laitman’s Holocaust oratorio Vedem, another collaboration with David Mason, premieres in May 2010 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. The oratorio, commissioned by Music of Remembrance, tells the story of the boys of Terezin and their secret journal. The work will be released on Naxos in the spring of 2011 and will be featured in a documentary by award-winning filmmaker John Sharify. Laitman and Mason are poised to begin work on a new opera, based on Mason’s epic verse novel, Ludlow.
Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman’s music has been performed frequently in the US 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 also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to give master classes on her music, and her music continues to be the subject of articles in leading industry publications.
Within These Spaces, Laitman’s newest solo CD, 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). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman’s Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement…[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."
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, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes.
Lori Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management. jona@jonarapoport.com