My name is Orin Laursen. I’m an American violin soloist, chamber musician, and concertmaster. Welcome to my website.
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Internationally acclaimed violinist Orin Laursen has been described in the press as a player possessing “dazzl[ing] virtuosity,” a “noble, pure tone” and “deep understanding and artistry.” He has collaborated with artists including conductors Kerem Hasan, Dennis Russell Davies, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Radu Paponiu, and Vladimir Lande. He has also collaborated as a chamber musican with Trevor Pinnock, Robert McDonald, Paula Robison, Richard Lester, Misha Amory, Steven Dann, Hsin-Yun Huang, and the Borromeo String Quartet. He is currently 1st Concertmaster of the MDR-Sinfonieorchester (the Leipzig Radio Symphony) in residence at the Gewandhaus. His recorded work can be found on both Linn and Deutsche Grammophon record labels.
Originally from Durham, North Carolina, I am currently based in Leipzig, Germany.
On-Stage
Orin debuted as a soloist at the age of 11 performing Viotti’s Concerto No. 22 with the Winston-Salem Symphony. His radio debut followed two years later, performing Bach’s Sonata for Solo Violin No. 1 in G Minor on WDAV 89.9 FM. By the age of 13, he had won numerous awards including 1st place in the North Carolina Symphony competition, 1st prize in the Peter Perret Youth Talent Search, and 1st prize in the American String Teachers Association Solo Violin Competition for North Carolina. Orin has since become a globally active performer, appearing on stages worldwide including Wigmore Hall in London, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Jordan Hall and the Gardner Museum in Boston, Koerner Hall in Toronto, and the Kauffman Center in Kansas City. He has appeared as a soloist with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, The MDR-Sinfonieorchester and Rundfunkchor, the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, the Tar River Orchestra, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra (RUS), and the Southwest Florida Symphony.
Musical Upbringing
Orin’s range as an interpreter is wide-spanning, and includes music outside the western classical canon. He is at-home playing jazz, avant-garde music, and the folk music of many traditions around the world (including his native North Carolina). He performs regularly in early music ensembles, having appeared alongside Trevor Pinnock, members of Tafelmusik Baroque and the Fitzwilliam Quartet, and continues to work directly with living composers including Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Terry Riley, Unsuk Chin, Christian Wolff, Kati Agócs, Jan Radzynski, and John Zorn.
Versatility as a musician
Orin’s principal teachers have included Ben Sayevich, Paul Kantor, Barry Shiffman, Nicholas Kitchen, Soovin Kim, Victor Danchenko, Michael Kannen, Joseph Genualdi, José Bastardes, Susan Kempter, and Karen McDougall.
Besides his primary teachers, Orin worked closely with mentors from a bygone era including Leon Fleisher, Robert Mann of the Juilliard Quartet and Martin Lovett of the Amadeus, as well as eminent figures of the present day including Steven Isserlis, Lukas Hagen, and members of the Artis, Tokyo, Belcea, and Brentano quartets. As a student, he participated in mastercourses at Prussia Cove in Cornwall, Kronberg Academy, the Salzburg Summer Academy, Taos School of Music, and the Britten Pears Young Artists’ Programme.