Biography

Curriculum Vitae:
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Laura M. Kramer (b. 1984) is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Southern California. She holds a Master of Music in Composition from Indiana University (2008), and a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance and Music Theory/Composition from West Chester University of PA (2006). She began clarinet at age 8, saxophone at age 9, and has been doubling on both since. Saxophone teachers include Anthony Kurdilla, Gregory Riley, and James Rötter, and composition teachers include Claude Baker, Don Freund, Michael Gandolfi, Jeffrey Hass, Robert Maggio, Larry Nelson, Mark Rimple, and Frank Ticheli. Composition master classes: Cindy Cox, Richard Hundley, David Ward-Steinman, Scott Wheeler. Saxophone Master classes: Frederick Hemke, Steven Mauk, Joseph Murphy, Otis Murphy, Marshall Taylor.

Active as a performer/composer, Laura has had performances at North American Saxophone Alliance Conferences and the Kimmel Center for the Arts- Philadelphia, PA. She has also performed at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford, England, and her works have been featured at the International Computer Music Conference 60x60 Concerts, International Women’s Electroacoustic Listening Room Project (California State Fullerton New Music Festival), Midwest Composers Symposium, Midwest Graduate Music Consortium, SEAMUS National Conferences, and University of Louisville's Comstock Hall. She has been a visiting composer at the Western Illinois University New Music Festival, arranged music for saxophonist, Otis Murphy, the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus, and the IU Kids Compose Project- performed by the IU Symphony Orchestra under Steven Smith. Reading sessions include the IU Contemporary Vocal Ensemble under Carmen Tellez, Indiana University Orchestra, Network for New Music, and West Chester University Symphony Orchestra. She was awarded honorable mention in the 2009 Margaret Blackburn Competition by the Pittsburgh Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota and has been selected as a finalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer awards. Collaborative projects include those for modern dance as well as incidental music for the IU Theatre Department's 2009 production of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband. Her work, Warped for sax and electronics is published with Dorn Publications.

Laura is currently a mentor for the USC Thornton Outreach Program. She has also served as graduate assistant director of the Indiana University New Music Ensemble, as well as guest production manager for Alarm Will Sound.  

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