LAJarski

10 posts
Laurie A. Jarski, composer, cellist, singer/songwriter guitarist, and owner of Broughton Music Center & Northville Center for Music & Art, is a professional cellist in the Presence of Three Trio, Red Willow Dream, the Battle Creek Symphony, and principal cellist with The National Women’s Music Festival Orchestra under Nan Washburn. She studied composition with Anthony Iannaccone and Ramon Zupko, and cello with Winifred Mayes (Asst. principal cellist in the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy) and Nina Deveritch (Master Class pupil of Pablo Casals). Laurie has composed commissioned works for orchestra, chamber orchestra, choir, and a variety of chamber ensemble pieces, the larger ensemble and orchestral compositions include, ‘God Rest Ye! Orchestral Renderings’; 2015, ’Funky Blues for Cello Quartet’; 2012, ’The Star to Every Wandering Bark’ for Choir, Chamber Orchestra, and Percussion; 2010, Travel Modalities for 16 Celli; 2008, An Amethyst Remembrance for Mezzo Soprano, Chamber Choir and Orchestra; 1995. In Laurie’s compositions, the interplay of antiphonal, rhythmic, and colorful fabric is woven around lyrical song-like melodies, a natural extension of Laurie’s folk music origin, as singer/ songwriter from age 9 and onward. A natural tendency to have percussive attributes cross over to instruments not usually slated as percussion, is of particular interest, and visa versa. Instrumental role switches, provide some interesting sound textures! In a recent work; Rhythm Cordia for Solo Cello, Laurie further blurs the idiomatic lines between cello and guitar, with a variety of pizzicato techniques, and col legno variations embedded into the piece. Current compositional endeavors are women focused. The first project involves writing two pieces honoring two pioneering women (Lois Schaefer, flutist of The Boston Symphony, and Winifred Mayes, cellist of Philadelphia Orchestra), of the professional orchestra world (at a time led by men, 1950’s & forward). The first piece will be a piano quintet for piccolo, flute, cello, & bass, and the other, an orchestra work featuring the flute and cello within the orchestra. Laurie’s most recent compositional concept, is to compose a piece exploring the powerful rhythm of speech possessed by some of the great women now, and in our history; Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Kiran Bedi, Hillary Clinton, Viola Davis, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Michelle Obama, Michelle Bachelet, Queen Elizabeth II, etc.

Two Truly Original Concerts

Come Join Nancy Day & I for two double billing shows of original music. The first show will be held at Broughton Music The Annex, Northville, MI, at 7:30 p.m., Friday, October, 21. The second show will be held at Broughton Music The Lab, Kalamazoo, MI, at 4:00 p.m., Sunday, […]

Reflections for Cello & Guitar

Reflections for Cello & Guitar was composed in 2005 as a part of an agreed challenge between two composers to write and perform a duet for each other in one week. Since then, either one part or the other would be performed live and the other part recorded. Learning how […]

Nine Trees of KL Ave Sent Underground Updated

Creating this piece was quite the journey! ‘Happy accidents’ and frustrating moments combined contributing to this piece’s birthing. This piece will be launched soon as a part of Kalamazoo’s Resonance Project; ‘Music In Place’ project. Here are some still highlights from the performance video.

Nine Trees of KL Ave Sent Underground

The Connecting Chords Kalamazoo Project has commissioned several local composers to create chamber music pieces inspired by locations; ‘Music In Place’ in Kalamazoo. From the day I drove into Kalamazoo for the first time, I fell in love with two roads where the 100- 200 plus year old trees offered […]

LAJ Blog

This twelve minute documentary shines a light on tradition of circumstances surrounding women and girl’s repressive practices, which include abuse & extreme gender bias, negatively impacting their lives.  I’m composing solo cello music for Lakshmi, along with electronic accompaniments.