About
Laura Porter is well known to Central California audiences as a recitalist, collaborative harpist, and as an orchestral musician. For thirty years, she has held the position of Principal Harp with the Fresno Philharmonic, often traveling throughout California to perform in other orchestras. She appears regularly with many diverse organizations, such as Moment Musical, the Wind Symphony of Clovis, the Fresno Community Chorus Master Chorale and Coro Piccolo, Soli Deo Gloria, Stageworks Fresno, and many others. She is a founding member of two chamber groups, Due Cantilena (flute and harp), and the Figarden Trio (flue, bassoon, and harp).
A dedicated teacher, Ms. Porter also maintains a prominent harp studio, teaching lessons in Fresno, for both adults and children. Her students may be seen performing in the Youth Orchestras of Fresno groups, the Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra, or with their school orchestras and concert bands. Her students have won national and regional competitions, including the AHS National Competitions, ASTA (local and state), Young Artist's Harp Competition, and been awarded honors such as the Jack Kent Cooke Award, the Presidential Scholar Award, and All-State Band and Orchestra positions. In past years, her students have gone on to attend schools such as the Juilliard School, Carnegie Mellon University, the Thornton School of Music at USC, as well as UC Berkeley, and UC Davis, and of course, Fresno Pacific University.
She is also on the faculty with University High school, Youth Orchestras of Fresno and the intensive summer orchestral training program, FOOSA, as Harp Instructor. Ms. Porter leads an adult Harp Circle group for local harp enthusiasts.