Recipient of the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for her accomplishments in performance, exceptional teaching, pioneering therapeutic music in hospitals, and in pioneering ergonomics for musicians, Laurie is known internationally. She has toured, adjudicated and taught for over 30 years.

She is best known for her work on the double-strung harp and the lever harp, and is also a multi-intrumentalist. Her music career began with guitar, dulcimer, banjo, and bodhran. She performed extensively, and founded The Folk Project (http://www.folkproject.org) in 1971. In the ’70’s she toured with the band Frostwater (www.frostwater.com).

Taking up the harp in 1981, Laurie toured for 10 years in duet, and another 10 years as a harp soloist. She has recorded over a dozen harp albums, and is a respected author of numerous music-related books and instructional DVDs. Her music has been heard on American Airlines, NPR’s All Things Considered,  the Narada Collections, and other venues worldwide. She played with the Chieftains during  their U.S. tour in 2002.

Laurie was a pioneer in the teaching and practice of therapeutic music as a bedside service in hospitals, founded two accredited therapeutic music certification programs that train musicians for hospital work, and was a charter member of the National Standards Board for Therapeutic Music. She also founded the Transformational Ergonomics Certification Program.

Currently she does professional consultation in music career development, recording production, performance skill development, and ergonomics.

 

Some of Laurie’s past appearances:

Symphony Hall, Phoenix, AZ with The Chieftains, 2002

National Public Radio – “All Things Considered”

Freight and Salvage, Berkeley, California

Swallow Hill Music Hall, Denver, Colorado

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, California

International O’Carolan Festival, Keadue, Co. Roscommon, Ireland 1997

Old Songs Festival, New York State 2001

The Folkway, Peterborough, New Hampshire

Eisteddfod, SMU, Massachusetts

Dusty Strings concerts, Seattle WA (several)

Song of the Sea Festival, Bar Harbor, Maine

Rocky Mt. Fiddle Camp, Colorado 2000, 2001, 2002

Irish Arts Center New York City, New York

Celtic classic, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Fiddle & Bow Society, Winston-Salem, N. Carolina

Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale, Arizona

Washington DC Irish Festival

Victoria Folk Music Society, Victoria, BC, Cananda

McDibb’s, Black Mountain, N. Carolina

Folk Project Festivals, New Jersey (several)

Tulsa Folk Music Society, Oklahoma

Pinewoods Folk Music Club Flushing, New York

Grand National Irish Fair, Los Angeles, CA (several years)

Humboldt State University, Arcata, California

Front Porch Music, Valparaiso, IN

Institute of Celtic Studies, San Francisco, California

Sedona Arts Center, Sedona, Arizona

Islands Folk Festival, Duncan, BC, Canada

Mendocino Arts Center, California

West Valley Fine Arts Council, Goodyear, AZ

Summer Solstice Festivals, Los Angeles, California

Glendale Public Library, Glendale AZ (several years)

Arcosanti, Mayer AZ (several years)

Future Studios, Sedona, AZ 2001, 2005

House of Musical Traditions, Takoma Park, Maryland

Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle, Washington – Several Years

Somerset Harp Conferences, New Jersey

Harps on Main, Rising Sun, Indiana 2001, 2002

Vashon Island Harp Camp (Director, several years)

Whistler Comm. Arts Council, Whistler, BC, Canada

Durham Arts Council, Durham, N. Carolina

Tubac Arts Assoc., Tubac, Arizona

Auburn Art Center, Auburn, California

Enumclaw Arts Council, Enumclaw, Washington

Fiddler’s Dream, Phoenix AZ

City of Lynnwood Arts Commission, Lynnwood Washington

Monterrey Public Library Concert Series, Monterrey, California

Blue Heron Arts Center, Vashon Island Washington

Irish Culture Club, Wilmington, Delaware

Charlotte Folk Music Society, N. Carolina

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, Washington State

Yakima Folklife Festival, Wasington State

International Harp Conferences 2000, 1996, 1992, 1990International Folk Harp Conferences, Utah/Minnesota/Washington/California/Montana

Sylvia Woods Harp Center Los Angeles, California

Dusty Strings Harp Symposium (several), Seattle, WA

(Other venues too numerous to list)

***

Scottish and Irish Festivals:

Stone Mt, GA.

Loon Mt., NH

Atlanta, GA

Dallas, TX

Highlands Ranch, CO

Loch Norman, NC

Prince Frederick, MD

Highlands Ranch, CO

Tucson, AZ

Santa Rosa, CA

Estes Park, CO

San Diego, CA

Mt. Vernon, WA

Victoria, BC

Enumclaw, WA

Mesa, AZ

Portland, OR

Sonora, CA

Fair Hill, MD

Waxhaw, NC

Campbell, CA

etc.