Laura Wayte
Short Biography
“The human voice is so intimate, spinning out like physicalized feelings searching for resonance, “ says Laura Wayte. Laura grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Vermont, and an M.M. in Voice from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. For 20 years, Laura has been performing and teaching classical singing. Her singing has been consistently praised for its lyrical expression and rich tonal qualities, and for her ability to connect with and move her audiences at the highest caliber. Laura founded the Songs@Tsunami recital series in Eugene, Oregon, and teaches people to sing freely and healthfully. Visit www.LauraWayte.com to enjoy blogs, recordings and live performances.
Medium Biography
Laura Decher Wayte grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Vermont, and an M.M. in Voice from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and recently performed the title role in the world premiere of The Woman of Salt, an opera written for her voice by Anice Thigpen. For 20 years, Laura has been performing traditional and contemporary opera, orchestral pieces, choral and chamber music. Her singing has been consistently praised for its lyrical expression and rich tonal qualities, and for her ability to connect with and move her audiences at the highest caliber. Opera News wrote of her recent Eugene Opera performance of The Governess in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw:"Laura Wayte... her lines lingering in the memory... has the ability to draw listeners to her rather than push to reach them." Laura particularly enjoys performing contemporary classical music from across cultures: American, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Danish and Norwegian – In all these languages and cultures she searches for music that moves her and always offers a program to make the audience feel as if they were embarking on a journey. Laura is the founder of art song concert series Songs@Tsunami in Eugene and teaches an active voice studio, helping others find how to use their voices beautifully and healthfully. More information at www.laurawayte.com.
Long Biography
Laura Decher Wayte grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Vermont, and an M.M. in Voice from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Opera Performance. For 20 years, Laura has been performing traditional and contemporary opera, orchestral pieces, choral and chamber music. Her singing has been consistently praised for its lyrical expression and rich tonal qualities, and her ability to connect with and move her audiences at the highest caliber.
Laura particularly enjoys performing contemporary classical music from across cultures: American, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Catalonian, Danish and Norwegian – she searches for music that moves her and always offers a program to make the audience feel both at home and as if they are traveling. She has performed several world premiers of contemporary compositions. In 2000, she toured Holland with The Nieuw Ensemble premiereing a piece written by her husband, Lawrence Wayte. Portland composer Nicole Portley composed LIVING for Laura and a string trio. Midsummer's Eve is her new CD of compositions by Edvard Grieg, Frederick Delius and Oregon composer David Wurts. In 2017 Laura performed the title role of The Woman of Salt, an opera written by Anice Thigpen. Thigpen wrote the role for Laura's voice and they worked together to produce the fully staged world premier.
Her extensive performances and roles include those with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (Beethoven and Rodrigo), the San Francisco Opera, the Santa Fe Symphony (Haydenʼs Mass in Time of War, Brubeckʼs La Fiesta de la Posada, Handelʼs Messiah), the Nevada Opera (Micaela in Carmen), the Mendocino Music Festival (Clorinda in La Cenerentola), the Berkeley Opera (Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites), and the Diablo Valley Symphony (Mimi in La Boheme).
From 2007-2016, Laura joined the Voice Faculty at the University of Oregon. In 2016 Laura founded the Songs@Tsunami recital series at Tsunami Bookstore. In Oregon she has performed with the Oregon Mozart Players (JS Bach's Jauchzet Gott in Allen Landen, Rodrigoʼs Cuatro Madrigales Amatorios, Mozartʼs Exsultate Jubilate, Copelandʼs Tender Land Suite), the Eugene Concert Choir (Brahmʼs Ein Deutsches Requiem, The Best of Broadway), the Eugene Opera (The Governess in Benjamin Britten's Turn of the Screw, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Madame Mao in Nixon in China, Kitty Hart in Dead Man Walking), and as the memorable soloist with Eugene Symphony in the Park.