About Laura

Laura Hamilton was Principal Associate Concertmaster for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, where she led hundreds of performances over a tenure of 33 years. She was concertmaster for many of the MET's popular “Live in HD” videocasts, including Carmen, Parsifal, Turandot, Faust, Salome, and Madama Butterfly. Previously a member of the Chicago Symphony, she appeared with that orchestra as concerto soloist with Maestro Georg Solti. Her first orchestral position was with the New Jersey Symphony, where she was Principal Second Violinist for two years. Laura is currently Concertmaster for the conductorless chamber orchestra CityMusic Cleveland, as well as Artistic Director and Concertmaster for the summer festival Classical Tahoe in Incline Village, Nevada. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Berkshire Bach and other New England festivals including Marlboro, Manchester, and Bard; in summer festivals in Norway and Greece; and on the Met Chamber Ensemble series at Carnegie Hall. She appeared as guest concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera, and the Adelaide Symphony in Australia. In 2014, while on leave from the MET, Laura served for one season as concertmaster at the Sydney Opera House. A highlight of her Sydney experience was a gala concert with famed tenor Jonas Kaufmann; her rendition of Massenet's Meditation from Thais garnered rave reviews praising her “radiant,” “serenely beautiful interpretation.”