Laura Oltman
Classical Guitar
Guitarist Laura Oltman has received acclaim for her recital and chamber music performances throughout the world. The New York Times described her debut performance at Carnegie Recital Hall as “remarkably successful—sensitive, well proportioned, and large on lyrical feeling.” Laura was chosen to perform in a nationally televised master class conducted by Andrés Segovia at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Guitar instructor at Princeton University, Lafayette College, and RVCC. 42-year partner in The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo—Ensemble-in-Residence at New York’s Mannes College of Music since 1987. Concerts on five continents, including Carnegie Hall, with Virginia Symphony at music festivals in Germany, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Peru, Colombia, and others. Collaborations with Turtle Island String Quartet, Marvin Hamlisch (Pittsburgh Pops), Frank McCourt (author of “Angela’s Ashes”), Sergio Assad, Clarice Assad, Tim Fain. Critically-acclaimed CDs for MusicMasters/BMG, Musical Heritage, MSR Classics/Albany, Sheffield Lab Audiophile. Awards from National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP, Chamber Music America. Laura is Co-Founding Director of Raritan River Music (www.RaritanRiverMusic.org), the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes (www.mannesguitar.com), and the Lanciano International Guitar Seminar (www.lancianoguitar.com).
Laura Oltman has developed entrepreneurship presentations for university’s arts and business schools: The DIY Career, and educational videos for Strings By Mail: Top Tips for Practicing Proficiency.
Newman & Oltman have built a unique repertoire of works composed for the duo by leading and emerging composers, such as Leo Brouwer, Paul Moravec, Augusta Read Thomas, Daniel Binelli, Lowell Liebermann, João Luiz, Dušan Bogdanović, Arthur Kampela, Michael Chapdelaine, and Roberto Sierra. Their collections of music arranged for two guitars are published by Theodore Presser and Mel Bay Publications.
To celebrate the 80th birthday of Cuban composer Leo Brouwer in 2019, Newman & Oltman commissioned and performed the world premiere of Brouwer’s new guitar duet, El Libro de los Seres imaginarios, a major new ensemble work composed for the duo. The piece has now been recorded by the duo and is available on the MusicMasters/Musical Heritage label in Audiophile Vinyl LP, CD, and streaming platforms. The score is published by Ediciones Espiral Eterna.
Laura Oltman graduated with honors from Florida State University and received the Diploma di Merito from Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. She studied with Bruce Holzman, Oscar Ghiglia, Luisa Sanchez de Fuentes, and Andrés Segovia.