Bio

Laura Byrne is one of a handful of musicians to successfully cross over to Irish music from another discipline. A native of Vermont, Laura grew up in a musical household and began studying the flute at age nine. She received a Bachelor of Music in flute performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 1995 and it was there that she first played a wooden flute as a member of the Peabody Baroque Ensemble. Soon after, she started playing Irish music and fervently sought out tunes in Baltimore, Washington and in Ireland - making 4 trips to Clare and Galway that first year. In 1999, Laura was the winner of the U.S. Eastern Fleadh Championship in New York.

Laura has performed at countless festivals and venues in Ireland and across the United States. In 2001, Laura was a featured performer in the Emmy nominated Christmas with Choral Arts concert, which aired on WMAR-TV ABC2 and WBJC-FM. She performs frequently with accordion player Billy McComiskey, Irish singer/guitarist Pat Egan, and pianist Donna Long . A sought-after flute instructor, Laura has taught and performed at the Catskills Irish Arts Week in East Durham, NY, at Goucher College in Towson, MD and also founded and directs the Baltimore Irish Arts Center which holds Irish music classes on Saturday mornings in Spring and Fall. Laura leads a weekly session at J. Patrick’s Pub in Baltimore and her first solo CD entitled Tune for the Road was just released in 2005.

When she is not playing music, Laura sells real estate with Long and Foster (www.charmcityhomesearch.com). Laura resides in Baltimore Maryland with a bodhran player who knows everyone, a guitarist/singer from Co. Tipperary and a crazy cat.