Scottish Mezzo-Soprano Laura Margaret Smith is the Scottish Opera Robertson Scholarship Trust Emerging Artist, 2014/15. Laura studied music at The University of Edinburgh before graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Alexander Gibson Opera School under Clare Shearer. Laura now studies with Patricia MacMahon. Laura was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Kathleen Ferrier competition, and was successful in many of the Conservatoire's competitions, including the Governor's Recital Prize, Ye Cronies Opera Prize, Frank Spedding Lieder Prize, Margaret Dick Award for singing and the Hugh Roberton Scots Song Prize. Laura holds a 'Making Music' Award for Young Concert Artists and a Musicians Benevolent Fund Postgraduate Performance Award.

Laura was selected to participate in the prestigious Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto in Italy in 2013 where she sang in masterclasses with Dennis O’Neill, Richard Bonynge, Luciana Serra and Daniela Dessi. She is also a Samling Artist and Britten-Pears Young Artist, where she studied with Sir Thomas Allen, Ann Murray DBE and Ian Partridge. Laura has sung in masterclasses with Roderick Williams, Elly Ameling (Leeds Lieder+ Festival), Felicity Palmer, Jane Eaglen, Lisa Milne, Florian Boesch (BBC, Glasgow City Halls) and Malcolm Martineau (Edinburgh International Festival).

Laura's operatic roles include Ordinary Person, Inés de Castro (Scottish Opera), Cenerentola, La Cenerentola (Scottish Opera unwrapped), Third Witch, Macbeth (Scottish Opera) and the title role in Carmen (Edinburgh Grand Opera). At the Conservatoire, Laura performed the roles of Hermia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RCS/Scottish Opera), Ottavia, L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Lucretia, The rape of Lucretia and Florence Pike, Albert Herring. She also created two roles in the world premières of Julian Wagstaff's operas, The Turing Test (Edinburgh International Festival Fringe) and Breathe Freely (Scottish Opera/University of Edinburgh), which she recorded for Linn records.

Winner of the Florence Veitch Ibler Oratorio prize, Laura performs regularly as a concert soloist. Her concert repertoire is diverse and includes Handel Messiah and Dixit Dominus, J.S. Bach Magnificat, Vivaldi Gloria and Beatus Vir, Mozart Requiem, Coronation Mass and Solemn Vespers, Haydn Nelson Mass, Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle, Mendelssohn Elijah, Schumann Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Dvorak Stabat Mater, Rachmaninoff All Night Vigil, Vaughan-Williams Magnificat, Duruflé Requiem, Britten The World of the Spirit and the world première of Maciej Granat's Requiem.

Laura enjoys a busy performance schedule in Europe and the UK, and concert highlights include a recital at St. Martin-in-the-fields, London with pianist Timothy End, singing as soloist with the Scottish Opera Orchestra under Jean-Luc Tingaud at St. Andrews in the Square, soloist in the world première of Ron Corp’s The Wayfarer (Ron Corp, Royal Festival Hall), Mozart Requiem, (David Danzmayr, Glasgow Cathedral) and soloist in Eric Whitacre’s Cloudburst (Eric Whitacre, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Germany). Laura recently premièred John Maxwell-Geddes' A Castle Mills Suite which she later recorded for Delphian Records with pianist Geoffrey Tanti.
Laura is looking forward to singing in Bayreuth this summer as part of the Festival Chorus.

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