ABOUT LAURA

Laura Lentz is a flutist, collaborator, and teacher-mentor, exploring and sharing music’s infinite palette of emotionally expressive colors. With flute playing described as “gorgeous,” and “riveting,” she is dedicated to sharing music by today’s most forward-thinking composers, collaborating with others to create exciting and gripping work, and teaching the next generation of young musicians and artists.

Laura’s debut recording, “Jacob’s Triptych,” released in March, 2023, brings together flute and electronics music by internationally known Dutch composer Jacob ter Veldhuis (AKA JacobTV). Recorded with frequent collaborator Marc Webster, the EP has appeared on various radio programs for new classical music including WNYC’s “New Sounds” (twice) with host John Schaefer, and on Dutch Radio’s “Unheard” program.

In 2015, Laura co-founded fivebyfive, a collaboratively-minded NY-based chamber group, and recently became its Artistic Director. The group has received numerous awards and support for its imaginative programming from The Eastman School of Music, New York State Council on the Arts, Chamber Music America, and New Music USA. fivebyfive works with a multitude of collaborating partners to create events that permeate innovative, cross-genre programming and community engagement.

As an author, she included nineteen miniatures for solo flute written for her in two self-published collections, Comfort Pieces for Solo Flute and Nature Pieces for Solo Flute. Her new book, Modal Flute Warmup, released December, 2023 with Conway Publications, is geared towards flutists and teachers and encourages discovery in one’s flute playing through a warmup approach that uses modes.

A dedicated teacher-mentor, Laura teaches a large studio of students who enjoy successes in regional festivals, competitions, and youth orchestras, and is frequently invited to present flute masterclasses and workshops across the country. Also a frequently invited guest speaker, she advocates for new music’s viability and visibility, providing insights on reaching larger and broader audiences, and sharing experiences with her work with fivebyfive and as a solo artist. She has taught at the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership and beginning Fall 2024 Laura will teach “Grant-writing for the Arts” at Nazareth University where she will guide students of all arts disciplines to seek funding for their creative projects.

Laura holds flute performance degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Crane School of Music. Her primary teachers have included Stephanie Jutt, Ken Andrews, and Alberto Almarza, and she spent time living abroad in Rome, Italy where she continued her studies and fell in love with the accordion. She knows three tunes, sort of, on a beautiful Hohner she recently bought.

Laura is based in Rochester, NY.

Short bio (106 words)

Laura Lentz is a flutist, collaborator, and teacher-mentor dedicated to sharing music by today’s composers, collaborating with others to create exciting new work, and teaching the next generation of young musicians and artists. Her debut solo recording includes two works dedicated to her by the Dutch composer JacobTV, and her recently published book, Modal Flute Warmup (Conway Publications), encourages discovery in one’s playing through an approach that uses modes. The flutist and Artistic Director of the award-winning chamber group fivebyfive, Laura has taught for the Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership, and is currently on faculty at Nazareth University where she guides students of all arts disciplines to seek funding for their creative projects.