Laura Hammes Black is an adjunct teacher of violin at Friends University. She studied with Josef Gingold at Indiana University, where she graduated with a Masters Degree in Violin Performance and a minor in Music History. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors Degree in Violin Performance, where she studied with Angel Reyes. Laura is a member of the first violin section of the Wichita (Kansas) Symphony, the Wichita Music Theatre Orchestra, and is Assistant Concertmaster of the Salina (Kansas) Symphony. She has also been concertmaster of the Wichita Grand Opera Orchestra. She has a large private studio in Wichita, Kansas and has given masterclasses and taught students at Fort Hays State University. She freelances actively in the Midwest area. Laura is the Director of the ICT Young Artists Academy in Wichita, Kansas and the Artistic Director and the Strings Coordinator of Camp Allegro Wichita in Wichita, Kansas. In 2011, Laura was the recipient of the Daniel J. Sevart Award for Community Service given by the Wichita Symphony. Laura is a member of the American String Teachers Association and a former member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She has been on the faculty of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Blue Lake, Michigan and the High Plains Music Camp in Hays, Kansas. Laura has sat concertmaster of the Hays (Kansas) Symphony, where she soloed on the Bruch Violin Concerto. She has also played in the Flint (Michigan) Symphony, the Evansville (Indiana) Philharmonic, and the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Symphony. In addition to her music, Laura enjoys life with her husband and two sons (who are now adults), along with her dogs and cats.
Education:
B.M. Violin Performance, University of Michigan; M.M. Violin Performance, Indiana University