Praised by the Washington Post for her radiant tone, clarinetist Lauren Jacobson’s creative work covers an array of roles, from soloist and ensemble musician to teacher and consultant domestically and abroad. A versatile career has encompassed national and international engagements including four years with The President’s Own United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C., the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, and the Verge Contemporary Ensemble. Lauren has toured extensively as a chamber musician with Vortex (woodwind quintet) and IndigoTwo (clarinet-piano duo), and has performed and taught as a chamber musician and soloist in Asia, Latin America, Europe and Canada.
Her work as Professor of Clarinet at the University of Northern Colorado and master class appearances at institutions including Rice University, Northwestern University, Indiana University, the Eastman School of Music, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Vanderbilt, and music festivals in the US and abroad allow Lauren to lean in to mentoring students on courageous artistry and creative and systematic practice. Lauren holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music.
In addition to traditional performing and teaching work, innovative projects integrate musical performance with visual art, storytelling, and scientific research. Collaborators have included non-profit founders, national grant recipients, scientists, conductors, musicians, writers, and storytellers. The intersection between the arts and research in environmental policy is being explored in “Radical Futures”, a storytelling project that brings to life alternative futures based on policy decisions for our planet. Lectures and performances are scheduled for 2023 and beyond. In 2022, Lauren co-created Summit Musicians with colleague Dr. Stephanie Zelnick. The clarinet duo climb mountains and perform at the summit to raise awareness about musician health and women in the arts, including peaks above 14,000 feet. Outside of music, you may find Lauren trail running, traveling in pursuit of good food, digging in the hard-packed Colorado clay soil of her veggie garden, or snuggling her two young children.