Laura Stoutenborough, Clarinet
Aida performance, with L.A. Opera, 2022. Intermission.
Laura teaches a masterclass at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.
Laura Stoutenborough is an active freelance clarinetist and teacher in Los Angeles. Laura performs frequently with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and extensively with the Los Angeles Opera. Laura has performed in over 30 operas and ballets with the Los Angeles Opera, and performed as guest Second Clarinet with the L.A. Opera for the 2017-2018 season. Laura was previously the Principal Clarinet of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra from 2010 until 2013. Other orchestras Laura has performed with include the Pasadena Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Opera, New West Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, Las Vegas Philharmonic, San Bernardino Symphony, and the Arizona Opera.
In film and television, Laura's credits include Only Murders in the Building, The Gilded Age, Ahsoka, Willow, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever.
Most recently, operas Laura performed with the L.A. Opera include Turandot, Frida y Diego, The Marriage of Figaro, Pelléas et Mélisande, Otello, Lucia di Lammermoor, Omar, Tosca, Aida, Oedipus Rex, Il Trovatore, Tannhäuser, and La Cenerentola. Laura's previous performances with the L.A. Opera include Eurydice (Aucoin), Roberto Devereux, The Magic Flute, Salome, Akhnaten, The Abduction from the Seraglio, The Tales of Hoffmann, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, La Bayadere, Carmen, Candide, Mayerling, Nabucco,
Satyagraha, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Hansel and Gretel, Orphée et Eurydice (Gluck), La Clemenza de Tito, El Gato Montés, and La Traviata. With the L.A. Philharmonic, Laura has performed in numerous concerts conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, featuring soloists such as Joshua Bell and Emanuel Ax; the Green Umbrella Series; Symphonies for Youth; and concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.
Passionate about teaching, Laura is the adjunct clarinet professor at Mount San Antonio College, and she teaches at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Laura also teaches clarinetists at Diamond Bar High School and South Pointe Middle School. Some of her students’ recent achievements include earning positions in California’s All-Southern and All-State Honors ensembles, Idyllwild Arts Summer Orchestra program, Colburn Youth Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Pacific Symphony Youth Concert Band, Claremont Young Musicians Orchestras, Diamond Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras. Her students have placed in competitions such as the Musical Arts Competition of Orange County, the Great Composers Competition, and the Mount San Antonio College Solo Competition. A summer high point for Laura is teaching at the Pasadena Conservatory Clarinet Camp. She has given masterclasses as a guest artist for the Tucson Symphony, the University of Minnesota, and at Waldorf College. Alumni of her private studio have been accepted as music majors to institutions such as the University of Michigan, University of Arizona, University of Denver, and several California State Universities, including Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Northridge.
As a concert soloist, Laura’s performance highlights include performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, soloing with the USC Contemporary Music ensemble for the klezmer-inspired piece, Yerusha, and performing Copland’s Clarinet Concerto at the Music Academy of the West. In Los Angeles, Laura has performed with Pittance Chamber Music, and in the Hear Now Music Festival. Laura is also a member of Third Wheel, a woodwind trio that performs eclectic repertoire across Southern California.
Laura received her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Southern California, studying with Yehuda Gilad. She received her Bachelor of Music degree, cum laude, as a student of Burt Hara at the University of Minnesota. While studying at USC, Laura was Co-Principal Clarinet in the American Youth Symphony and Associate Principal of the Debut Orchestra. She received significant orchestral training from the Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West. Laura’s primary teachers include Yehuda Gilad, Burt Hara, Michele Zukovsky, Richie Hawley, Monica Kaenzig, and Jennifer Gerth.