Laura Armstrong

Dr. Laura Armstrong is a faculty member of Mount St. Mary’s University where she teaches clarinet and saxophone. She has performed in recitals in the Mid-Atlantic region and has performed as a soloist at the International Clarinet Association’s Clarinet Fest held in Ostend, Belgium in 2018. Laura is the clarinetist of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra and performs on their tours throughout the US and can also be heard on their most current albums Jazzin’ the Blues Away and Take Me to the Ragtime Dance. An active freelancing orchestral performer, Laura has performs with a variety of orchestras in the area including the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, York Symphony Orchestra and in 2022 she joined the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra as principal clarinet on their concert tour to Munich, Germany.

As a saxophonist, Laura has presented lectures and has performed at the International Saxophone Symposium, the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, and the International Conference for Saxophone Pedagogy and Performance. She is an advocate of contemporary music and has been involved in the commissioning of new works for both clarinet and saxophone, and she regularly performs with new music groups based in the Baltimore/Washington area. Laura is also a founding member of the Fortunata Trio/Duo. Laura received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Maryland. Her principal teachers have been Paul Cigan, Ron Samuels, and Valerie Martin. She has also studied saxophone with Gail Levinsky and Ron Bixler. Laura started her own reed making business, Aurora Winds, in 2015 and is also a NAHA Certified Professional Aromatherapist. She lives in Baltimore, MD. For more information, please visit www.lauraarmstrong.net.