Dr. Lauren Spaulding

Noted for “genre-defying” performances with “distinct sonic identity” and “ethereal refinement”, Dr. Lauren Spaulding is a member of both the Thalea String Quartet in Residence at the University of Toronto and the Tallā Rouge Duo. (Gramophone Magazine/Musical America)

Biography

Noted for “genre-defying” performances with “distinct sonic identity” and “ethereal refinement” (Gramophone Magazine/Musical America), Dr. Lauren Spaulding captivates international audiences as a versatile chamber musician and viola soloist. Spaulding is a member of both the Thalea String Quartet in Residence at the University of Toronto and Tallā Rouge Duo, the 23’–24’ ensemble in residence at Harvard University’s esteemed Dumbarton Oaks.

As a performer Spaulding has toured internationally in over 20 countries, sharing chamber concerts, recitals, and solo performances with acclaimed artists such as the St. Lawerence Quartet, Carolin Widmann, Lawrence Lesser, Jorja Fleezanis, Attacca Quartet, Brentano Quartet, and with members of the London Haydn Quartet, Orpheus, Pro Arte Quartet, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Knights, A Far Cry, and Imani Winds. She has appeared in broadcast and television productions of the BBC, Netflix, NPR Live Sessions, and has aired as featured album of the week on the CBC. 

In 2020 Lauren Spaulding co-founded the New York-based ensemble Tallā Rouge, a “dynamic and diverse” viola duo with “killer technique, and enough heart to make it all matter” (I Care if You Listen). Their debut album of new commissions, Shapes in Collective Space, reached #2 of the Classical Billboard Charts and was released under Bright Shiny Things in 2024 with the support of Harvard University. Tallā Rouge has performed at prestigious chamber music venues such as Caramoor Center for Music and Arts, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and as featured artists at the Chamber Music America and the International Viola Society conference. Formed at The Juilliard School under the mentorship of Roger Tapping, Tallā Rouge holds the recognition as top-prize winners at the International Anton Rubinstein Competition and the Francis Walton Competition. 

As a member of the Thalea String Quartet, top-prize winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Spaulding has shared the stage with a diverse range of inspiring artists, including Michelle Cann, Mark Fewer, Stewart Goodyear, Sterling Elliott, Lara Downes, Joseph Conyers, and the Brentano Quartet. During her time with the ensemble, the quartet received the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and serves as the Ensemble-in-Residence at the Lakes Area Music Festival, the Fischoff Summer Chamber Intensive, and Interlochen Arts Camp. 

Formerly on faculty at the University of Maryland while concurrently receiving her Doctorate, Lauren Spaulding now teaches at the University of Toronto as the James D. Stewart Quartet in Residence. She has been a juror of the International Composer Competition hosted by composer’s voice and has given masterclasses, lectures, and workshops for major institutions globally such as Oberlin Conservatory, Cornell University, Harvard University, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Spaulding had a rich non-musical childhood, starting viola lessons at the age of 15. Initially attending Trinity University for Neuroscience, Spaulding discovered her love for chamber music while attending her first music festival at the age of 22. Inspired by the prospect of a career in chamber music, Spaulding transferred to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she holds a Bachelor of Music, and later received a Masters of Music from the University of Colorado with the Takács Quartet, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland where she was concurrently the Quartet in Residence with Thalea String Quartet. Among her mentors are world-renowned musicians such as Peter Slowik, Katherine Murdock, Marilyn McDonald, the Takács Quartet, and the Cavani Quartet. She received further personal artistic guidance from Roger Tapping, Don Weilerstein, Nobuko Imai, the Doric Quartet, Kenneth Slowik, Laurence Lesser, William Fedkenheuer, and the London-Haydn Quartet.

Highlights:

• Violist of the Thalea String Quartet and Tallā Rouge Duo

• Quartet in Residence at University of Toronto

• Doctorate of Music

• Specializes in Chamber & Solo Performance

• Related Expertise: Interpersonal Communication, Project Management, Commissioning, Arrangements & Transcriptions, Orchestral Excerpts, Practice Tips  

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