Laura Dean’s dynamic music career spans over twenty years and includes audiences in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Originally from Montana, Laura lives in Seattle, Washington, where she performs, teaches, writes, records, creates music curricula, and offers private and public concerts along with school/community residencies and music education workshops. She thrives on travel to both domestic and international destinations where she collects stories, photographs, videos and music which inspire and inform her solo performance programs, writing, and educational residencies.
Laura’s first, book, Music in the Westward Expansion: Songs of Heart and Place on the American Frontier (McFarland Publishing),hit the shelves on May 23, 2022. In 2018, Laura created Hear It, Sing It, Move It: A North American Folk Song Collection – a complete curriculum including song book, teacher’s curriculum guide, and recordings. Romanza de Amor, her first solo recording, released on Yellow House Records (2011), features a selection of piano works from Mexico’s most beloved composer, Manuel M. Ponce. Women with a Past, released on Yellow House Records (2015), features piano works from five women composers from the Baroque through the twentieth century.
Her educational outreach for K-12 includes a variety of experiential learning opportunities such as teaching the folks songs of Mexico and the dances of Cuba. Aiming for maximum engagement, Laura’s solo programs and residencies weave together live music played on the piano and guitar, vocal selections, engaging narratives, and captivating photographs. Her concerts and residencies have reached over 3,000 students and community members in the Seattle area and beyond. As an experienced grant writer, Laura has received numerous grants for her work as an educator, performer, and research scholar from local and national organizations.