Lauren Vandervelden
Violinist
Composer
Conductor
About Lauren
American violinist, composer, and conductor Lauren Vandervelden is currently pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Hochschule Luzern with Maestro Clemens Heil. She recently completed her master’s degree in Solo Violin Performance at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in Switzerland with international soloist Ilya Gringolts. Lauren is also a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she was a proud recipient of the John Erskine Prize for exceptional scholastic and artistic achievement.
Composer
Lauren has won numerous national awards for her compositions, including recognition from The Juilliard School, BMI, and ASCAP. She collaborates extensively with choreographers, visual artists, and fellow musicians. Lauren seeks to bring an operatic, narrative quality to her compositions, drawing and expanding upon the realm of tonal harmony as a means of channeling expressivity. She is inspired by the beauty of nature, striving to express its sublimity in her music.
Violinist
Lauren performs internationally as a violinist, most recently with the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra in the Czech Republic. She is the winner of several string competitions including the Alexander & Buono International String Competition and the Bellagrande International Music Competition. She performs regularly in chamber ensembles and has soloed with orchestras including the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. She served as guest concertmaster with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra in April, 2023.
Conductor
While at the Zürcher Hochschule Der Künste, Lauren conducted the premiere of her opera, Hludana. She also recently attended several conducting masterclasses including the International Masterclasses Berlin with Maestro Johannes Wildner, the Muzik Fermata with Maestro Toby Purser in Oxford, and the Dirigierakademie with Maestros Neil Thomson in London and Matthew Lynch in Toronto. Lauren has studied conducting with Maestro Jeffrey Milarsky at The Juilliard School and Maestro Mark Kissoczy at the Zürcher Hochschule Der Künste.