American violist Laura Krentzman is known for her work as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and new music advocate.
Laura has performed as a soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the University of North Texas Collegium Musicum, the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Music Ensemble, Klasik Keyifler, and the Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra where she also served as principal viola for three years.
As an orchestral musician, Laura held the positions of Associate Principal viola with the Erie Philharmonic and the Canton Symphony. She also played regularly with Pittsburgh Opera, Wheeling Symphony, the Symphony of Southeast Texas, Victoria Symphony (TX), Opera in the Heights and the Classical Music Institute orchestra in San Antonio, Texas. Since moving to Turkey in 2020 Laura has performed with Klasik Keyifler, Orkestra Akademik Başkent, Gedik Filarmoni, and Ankara Kent Filarmoni Orkestrası.
Laura is also an active proponent of new music. Laura has premiered and recorded numerous works by composers Arthur Gottschalk, Alla Elana Cohen, Elizabeth Austin, Reza Vali, David Macbride, Robert Carl, and Önder Özkoç as well as works by her husband, Erberk Eryılmaz.
Laura was a member of Axiom String Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. The quartet focused on presenting a variety of musical styles, from classical to rock, pop and jazz.
Laura has degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, the University of North Texas, and the University of Hartford. She studied with Carol Rodland, Susan Dubois, Cynthia Roberts, and Rita Porfiris. Laura has also worked with Kim Kashkashian, Wilfried Strehle, Helen Callus and Michelle LaCourse, Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson Quartet, and Danny Seidenberg of the Turtle Island Quartet.
In 2015, Laura and her husband Erberk Eryılmaz established Hoppa Project which aims to promote music from Eastern Europe and the Middle East by performing the music of the region with a wide range of styles from folk to newly commissioned contemporary music. Hoppa Project has collaborated with varied artists such as Ismail Lumanovski, Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, Shawn Conley, Beth Bahia Cohen, Ayşe Göknur Şanal, Yiğit Kolat, Özkan Manav, and Kamran İnce.
Laura lives in Ankara, Turkey where she is a member of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra and teaches viola at Bilkent University. For more information, please visit www.laurakrentzman.com.
violist