The members of Aureole are Laura Gilbert, flute, Mary Hammann, viola, and Stacey Shames, harp.Their concerts and recordings also include a wide variety of popular and folk music from the Celtic, Latin, Indian, Baroque and Classical traditions. Inspired by the combination, some of the most imaginative and creative musicians and composers of our time -- Ravi Shankar, George Tsontakis, Jacob Druckman and Roberto Sierra-- have masterfully composed and arranged for Aureole. The repertoire also includes many significant and powerful works by Twentieth Century composers, including Claude Debussy, Sofia Gubaidulina, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Sir John Tavener, Toru Takemitsu, Harrison Birtwistle and Kaiji Saariaho.
“Her tone is deep, smoothly rounded and alluring, and her manipulation of dynamics and timbre imposed an unusually compelling dramatic shape … her Prokofiev was a picture of sensuousness, and Debussy’s ‘Epigraphes Antiques’ had a gentle introspective glow.”
- New York Times
Flutist, Laura Gilbert, has performed around the world as chamber musician, soloist, recitalist and guest lecturer.
In addition to Aureole, a trio comprised of flute, viola and harp, of which Ms. Gilbert is a founding member, she has performed and toured with Musicians from Marlboro, Alexander Schneider's Brandenburg Ensemble, The Brentano and Saint Lawrence String Quartets, Chamber Music at the 92nd Street "Y", Saint Luke's Ensemble and Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic and Speculum Musicae.
Ms. Gilbert also performs frequently in a duo with the Greek guitarist, Antigoni Goni. As advocates of folk-inspired classical music, the duo has commissioned numerous new works, many of which are included on their debut solo disc “From the New Village”, to be released in late 2006, by Koch International Classics.
Ms. Gilbert's extensive discography includes two solo recordings: The Flute Music of Serge Prokofiev (which received rave reviews from Gramophone, Fanfare and American Record Guide); and the Flute Music of Toru Takemitsu - both released by Koch International. In addition to her solo recordings, Aureole has released nine discs on Koch International, the first of which was short-listed for numerous Grammy awards. Ms. Gilbert is a member of the ensemble on Dawn Upshaw's Grammy award winning disc, "The Girl with the Orange Lips".
Ms. Gilbert has served on the flute and chamber music faculties of Peabody Conservatory, Mannes College of Music, Harid Conservatory, Purchase College, The Aaron Copland School at Queens College, Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and Saint Ann's School.
Since 2007, Ms. Gilbert has been one of the Music Directors of Monadnock Music.
Ms. Gilbert studied with Samuel Baron, Julius Baker and Thomas Nyfenger, and received her Bachelor degrees from Sarah Lawrence College, and New England Conservatory of Music, her diploma and Master of Music, from The Juilliard School, and her Doctorate from SUNY Stony Brook, where she was Samuel Baron’s assistant.