Laura Snowden

Laura Snowden

Key Facts

Biography

Award-winning classical guitarist and composer Laura Snowden was handpicked by Julian Bream to give the Julian Bream Trust concerts at Wigmore Hall in 2015 and 2017, premiering the Trust’s new commissions by Olli Mustonen and Julian Anderson. Laura was the first guitarist to graduate from the world-renowned Yehudi Menuhin School, where guitar tuition was made possible by a donation from the Rolling Stones. Earlier this year she recorded a new guitar concerto by Lisa Streich with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, later premiering it at the Ernst von Siemens Award Ceremony in Munich.

She was featured on the front cover of Classical Guitar Magazine Fall 2016 with an in-depth article describing her as “linking guitar’s past, present and future”. Whilst studying at the Royal College of Music, she was selected for the Tillett Trust, St John’s Smith Square, International Guitar Foundation, Worshipful Company of Musicians and ‘Making Music Philip and Dorothy Green’ young artist schemes, and was invited by guitarist John Williams to perform at Shakespeare’s Globe with her folk ensemble Tir Eolas.

As a composer, Laura won First Prize at the Volos International Guitar Composition Competition and has been commissioned by VIDA Guitar Quartet, the Park Lane Group with support from the RVW Trust and the International Guitar Foundation; her song Live Free was performed at over 300 simultaneous concerts in 60 countries for the charity Voices for Hospices.

Laura currently teaches at the Yehudi Menuhin School and has given classes alongside performances at the International Guitar Foundation’s Summer School, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Birmingham Conservatoire, Uppsala International Guitar Festival and the Altamira Hong Kong International Guitar Symposium.

Her upcoming performances include the Volterra Project Summer Institute in Italy, Long Island Guitar Festival, the Guitar and Lute Festival in Sweden, and a tour of Brazil in collaboration with Worldwide Guitar Connections.

For more information on Laura’s various projects, including the Snowden-Sir duo (violin and guitar), Tir Eolas (5-part folk ensemble), Tom Ellis and Laura Snowden (guitar duo), as well as her compositions and arrangements, please see her website.

Laura’s principal teachers have been Richard Wright (Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal College of Music), Gary Ryan (RCM), Carlos Bonell (RCM) and Julian Bream.  She plays a guitar made by Christopher Dean.

Laura would like to thank the following for their much appreciated support:
The Simon Fletcher Charitable Trust, the Julian Bream Trust, the Countess of Munster Trust, City Music Foundation, the Tillett Trust, the RCM Creative Careers Centre, St John’s Smith Square, Live Music Now, the Concordia Foundation, the Worshipful Company of Musicians, the International Guitar Foundation, John Lewis, Robert McFadzean Whyte, Jacqueline Ward and the Lions Club of Great Britain and Ireland – in particular the COGS.

 

Musicians’ Company Award: Ivor Mairants Guitar Award 2014

Page Updated: May 2018

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