Laura Snowden (born 18 May 1989) is a British-French classical guitarist and composer. She is widely regarded as one of the leading classical guitarists of her generation since being handpicked by Julian Bream to continue his legacy of performing new commissions by leading contemporary composers, including Julian Anderson and Olli Mustonen . [1] [2]
Snowden was educated at the Yehudi Menuhin School where she studied guitar with Richard Wright, she was the first guitarist to graduate from the Menuhin School. [3] Following this she studied at the Royal College of Music with Wright and Gary Ryan. [3]
Snowden's 2015 Wigmore Hall debut was highly praised by critics;
Graham Wade, writing in Classical Guitar Magazine stated - "Snowden is not only an excellent guitarist who is technically virtuosic, but also a true musician whose interpretative capabilities are profound and exciting." [4]
Erica Jeal, writing in The Guardian, noted how Snowden "held the Wigmore Hall rapt with a performance of unassuming poise and intensity" [1]
She made her US debut in 2019 at the 27th Long Island Guitar Festival [5] and her Asian debut at the 2017 Altamira Hong Kong International Guitar Symposium and Competition. [6]
In 2019 she made her Irish debut at the Farmleigh Music and Arts Festival at the invitation of composer/guitarist Dave Flynn. [7]
In 2020 Tonebase released a performance video of Snowden's interpretation of Benjamin Britten's Nocturnal, recorded at Britten's former home, the Red House in Aldeburgh. [8]
Snowden performs in the folk group Tir Eolas, who were invited by John Williams to perform at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. [9]
Snowden is also an award-winning composer whose work has been commissioned and performed internationally and featured on BBC Radio 3. [10]
A scholar of the Julian Bream Trust, Snowden's awards include; [10]
John Christopher Williams is an Australian-born classical guitarist renowned for his ensemble playing as well as his interpretation and promotion of the modern classical guitar repertoire. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award in the Best Chamber Music Performance category with fellow guitarist Julian Bream for Together. Guitar historian Graham Wade has said that "John is perhaps the most technically accomplished guitarist the world has seen."
Francisco Peña Pérez, known as Paco Peña, is a Spanish flamenco composer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the world's foremost traditional flamenco players.
The Belcea Quartet is a string quartet, formed in 1994, under the leadership of violinist Corina Belcea.
The Yehudi Menuhin School is a specialist music school in Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, England, founded in 1963 by violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. The current director of music is the British classical pianist Ashley Wass. The school is one of the five established musical schools for school-age children in the United Kingdom, along with Chetham's School of Music, Wells Cathedral School, the Purcell School and St. Mary's Music School, Edinburgh. It is mainly funded by the Department for Education's Music and Dance Scheme, by philanthropic foundations, by donations and bequests from individuals, and by regular support from the Friends of the Yehudi Menuhin School.
Julian Alexander Bream was an English classical guitarist and lutenist. Regarded as one of the most distinguished classical guitarists of the 20th century, he played a significant role in improving the public perception of the classical guitar as a respectable instrument. Over the course of a career that spanned more than half a century, Bream also helped revive interest in the lute.
The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good acoustics. It specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals, and hosts over five hundred concerts each year, as well as a weekly concert broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Alice Artzt is an American guitarist from New York City.
Alirio Díaz was a Venezuelan classical guitarist and composer, considered one of the most prominent composer-guitarists of South America and an eminent musician. He studied with Andrés Segovia, and gave concerts all over the world.
Mark Delpriora is an American classical guitarist and composer.
Jennifer Elizabeth Pike is a British violinist.
Stephen Marchionda is an American virtuoso classical guitar performer.
Cheryl Frances-Hoad is a British composer.
Ronan Magill is a British concert pianist and composer.
David Flynn is an Irish composer, musician, and the founder and artistic director of the Irish Memory Orchestra. Many of his works music merge the influence of traditional Irish music with contemporary classical music and jazz. He is also a multi-instrumentalist who works across many genres including classical, jazz, rock and traditional Irish music, with guitar being his main instrument.
Nocturnal After John Dowland, Op. 70 is a classical guitar piece composed in 1963 by English composer Benjamin Britten for guitarist Julian Bream. It is considered one of the most influential works written in the twentieth century for the classical guitar.
Sean Shibe is a classical and electric guitarist from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He is of English and Japanese ancestry. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and with Italian guitarist Paolo Pegoraro. His debut album was described as "not just great guitar playing... the best [the jury] had ever heard" by BBC Music Magazine, and "the best solo guitar disc I've heard" by The Arts Desk.
Sabrina Vlaškalić was a Serbian classical guitarist. Unusually gifted, she saw music and numbers as colours and she was compared to the French child prodigy Ida Presti. By 23 she was teaching music at a conservatory and a university.
Joseph Middleton is a British classical pianist and lied accompanist.
The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo is an American classical guitar ensemble formed in 1978. Known for adventurous programming and collaborations as well as their contributions to the repertoire of the guitar duo ensemble, the Duo was founded by Michael Newman and Laura Oltman, who have performed together since it was formed.
The Doric String Quartet is a string quartet based in the UK. It was formed in 1998. As of 2023, the members are Alex Redington and Ying Xue on violin, Hélène Clément on viola and John Myerscough on cello. Past members include Jonathan Stone, Simon Tandree and Chris Brown. In 2008, the quartet won first prize at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and second prize at the "Premio Paolo Borciani" International String Quartet Competition.