When you meet Laurie, ask her… Did she know Erik growing up? How does she travel with a harp? What other instruments can she play?
Bio
Laurie Meister is known to Houston audiences as a regular performer on its premiere concert stages. In addition to being the principal harp of ROCO she has also been acting principal harp of Houston Grand Opera and has performed regularly as a substitute with the Houston Symphony and Houston Ballet orchestras. Additionally, Laurie has performed as guest harpist with symphony and festival orchestras throughout the US, including the St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Grand Teton Music Festival, North Carolina Symphony, Florida Symphony, and New World Symphony orchestras.
She has appeared as concerto soloist playing Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with flutist Leone Buyse and the Houston Chamber Orchestra and performing Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with Houston Symphony musicians in the symphony’s subscription concert series. Laurie has also performed as concerto soloist with the Greenbriar Consortium, St. Cecilia Chamber Music Society, Brazos Valley Symphony, University of Wisconsin Symphony, and Lawrence University Symphony orchestras, as well as with the Concord Chamber Orchestra, as their Concerto Competition First Prize Winner. Laurie has toured with the Houston Symphony under Maestro Hans Graf, performing in Carnegie Hall, and can be heard on their recordings of “The Planets: an HD Odyssey”, “The Earth: an HD Odyssey” and Bartok’s “The Wooden Prince”. She is also the performing harpist on ROCO’s Grammy award-winning recording “Visions Take Flight”.
As an educator, Laurie has served on the faculties at the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Camp as well as the American Festival for the Arts. She has been a guest teacher at the Houston Summer Harp Festival and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as well as for masterclasses and clinics throughout the US.
Laurie received her Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her major teachers have included principal harpists Paula Page, Danis Kelly, Alice Chalifoux and Joan Mainzer.