As a performer, violist Laura Seay has been characterized as a burst of unbound energy" (The East Hampton Star), and her enthusiasm for classical music continues to attract audiences across the globe. Ms. Seay first won national recognition in performance with Itzhak Perlman and members of the Perlman Music Program for a nationally televised broadcast of the 2003 "Live from Lincoln Center". Since then, she has appeared in performance at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall in New York City, Nichols Concert Hall in Chicago, and yearly performances throughout North America and Europe. As a soloist with orchestra, Ms. Seay has performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, University of Northern Colorado Wind Ensemble, and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.
An avid chamber musician, Ms. Seay has collaborated in performance with renowned artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Paul Katz, Donald Weilerstein, Roger Tapping, Jeremy Denk, and Jennifer Frautschi. During the 2009-2011 seasons, Ms. Seay has performed as a member of the Vinca Quartet (The New York Times: "Stunning"_musicians worth keeping an eye on.") and was a founding member of the New York-based LK String Quartet, which is praised by The New York Times as "fiery and propulsive, with striking unanimity", The Washington Post as "Gorgeous" and by The New York Sun as "exceptional"_the future of classical music, which looked hale and hearty."
In 2010-11 Ms. Seay was granted a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) grant from the German government sponsoring her exploration of the Germanic traditions of chamber music performance today. As a result, she lived and performed extensively in Stuttgart, Germany and throughout Europe. Ms. Seay has won multiple national awards including the William C. Byrd Young Artists Competition, National Foundation for the ARTS, and the Jeff Bradley Young Musicians Award and frequently is awarded merit scholarships to attend festivals in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. In 2007, Ms. Seay was one of three finalists in The Juilliard School's concerto competition and performed Walton's Viola Concerto in Juilliard's Paul Hall.
Ms. Seay has served on the faculties of The Juilliard School Pre-College, The Perlman Music Program, Killington Music Festival, Chamber Music of the Rockies and also serves as a teaching assistant at The Juilliard School College Division. Ms. Seay holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Viola Performance from The Juilliard School where she studied with renowned viola pedagogue Heidi Castleman, Steven Tenenbom, and Hsin-Yun Huang and chamber music with Robert Mann and David Soyer. Ms. Seay also holds a Education Masters Degree in Music Education from Columbia University " Teachers College where she published her research in the field of performance majors working as teaching artists and performance outreach.
Raised in Denver, Colorado, Ms. Seay takes a lot of interest in making classical music accessible and enjoyable for diverse audiences, especially to her peer group, by talking with audiences about music in a way that is understandable and appreciated on a high and universal level.
