Welcome Laura Sousa Wagner!
A big warm welcome to Laura!
Laura Sousa Wagner is a professional violinist who has officially joined the BVQ and will be playing first violin for gigs and community concerts! Although Laura is the newest member of the BVQ, we actually grew up playing with her in the Whitinsville Christian School Strings program! Along with performing with us as our first violinist, Laura will also be arranging music for the business and keeping up with our music library! She has quite the resume and background in violin! See her full biography below! š Welcome Laura, we're so excited to have you!
A native of Massachusetts, Laura Sousa Wagner began playing the violin at the age of five. After completing the Suzuki method, she went on to train at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, studying in the private studios of Fudeko Takahashi and Kelly Barr. While at NEC, she was a member of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra, the Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. She has toured extensively across the United States, Europe and South America with various orchestras, and has performed in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Brazil, Venezuela, and Canada. While on tour in Venezuela, she collaborated with El Sistema under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel.
Mrs. Sousa Wagner has been the winner of several competitions, including the Vassar College Soloist Competition in both 2006 and 2008, and she was the Massachusetts winner of the VSA Arts International Soloist Competition in 2008. She served as concertmaster of the Rhode Island All-State Orchestra from 2003-2006, and of the Vassar College Orchestra and the Vassar College Camerata from 2006-2010.
In addition to classical music, Mrs. Sousa Wagner studied fiddling and folk music with Myra MacLeod, and she enjoys performing these genres in addition to pop, jazz, and modern music.
Mrs. Sousa Wagner earned her Bachelorās Degree in Music from Vassar College in 2010. She is currently the strings teacher and chamber orchestra conductor at the Dedham Country Day School, and is also on the string faculty at the Dedham School of Music, the Ivy Music Academy, and the Foxboro Music Den.