Lauren is a forward-thinking vocalist, pianist, and composer based in New York City. Her foray into music began as a teenager in the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, an experience that allowed her to explore the music of contemporary and avant garde composers. This ignited a passion that lead her to receive a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies (Vocal Performance) at Webster University followed by a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from New York University.

 

While at NYU, Lauren studied under noted educators and performers such as Kenny Werner and Gil Goldstein and got inspired to find her own compositional and improvisational voice. Since graduation, she’s continued to develop her creative skills within various ensemble settings, including an all improvised electro-acoustic bass and voice duet project as well as a trio with a classical singer-songwriter flavored jazz compositions. Her 2015 album “Dichotomies” has received national and international airplay and her 2016 album “The Consciousness Test” was released to critical acclaim, affording her multiple touring and festival opportunities in Europe.

 

Lauren performs regularly as a guest with groups like The Hot Shim Sham Orchestra, the Eco-Music Big Band, and Arc Welding at such noted venues in NYC as The Iridium, Highline Ballroom, The Cell, Zinc Bar, ABC No Rio, and Downtown Music Gallery. She also placed in international jazz vocal competitions such as Riga Jazz Stage and Shure Montreux International Vocal Competition in 2016.

 

Lauren is a passionate educator who developed a unique style of teaching while being an adjunct professor at New York University. Her style is refreshingly laid back and student driven. She believes that listening to music is just as important as studying how to play it so she often assigns listening homework and turns lessons into fun, improvised jam sessions. Her philosophy is that music should be fun, exciting and creatively challenging.