Laurel
Bennert Ohlson
Photo: Truman Harris
Photo: Scott Suchman
After forty-two years in the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC) as Associate Principal Horn, Laurel has retired from the orchestra and transitioned to handbells performance.
Now a member of two advanced-level handbell ensembles,
Virginia Bronze
and
Peace Ringers
at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church in Annandale, VA
She enjoys attending advanced handbell events such as
Distinctly Bronze East in New Bern, NC, and
Bay View Week of Handbells in Petoskey, MI.
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National Symphony Orchestra
Associate Principal Horn (Retired),
Laurel Ohlson, has appeared as a
concerto soloist with the
National Symphony Orchestra and Eclipse
Chamber Orchestra and in numerous solo engagements
across the U.S. and South America. Appointed by
Mstislav Rostropovich, she has had the pleasure of
performing with the NSO in the finest concert halls in
Europe, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, South America, the
U.S., and Oman.
She premiered Truman Harris’
Concertino for Horn and Chamber Orchestra with Eclipse
Chamber Orchestra in 1999, and recorded the work in
2006. Ms. Ohlson has served on the faculty of The
Catholic University of America, and has been an active
performer and teacher through the NSO’s Youth Fellowship
Program, Summer Music Institute, and the American
Residencies. She has also conducted master classes and
Wagner tuba clinics at International
Horn Society Symposiums and International
Women's Brass Conferences (IWBC).
Ms. Ohlson presents “History of the Horn” lecture-demonstrations, playing on at least a dozen horn-related instruments including the alphorn, shofar, natural horn, Wagner tuba, and the ever-popular garden hose. She has been on the Board of Directors of the IWBC since its founding in 1991.
Laurel's National Symphony Orchestra "Musician Profile" recorded in September 2020
She
is the featured horn soloist on Naxos CD No.
595858 in Truman Harris'
Concertino for Horn and Chamber Orchestra with
Eclipse Chamber Orchestra conducted by Sylvia Alimena, and
also performs in three other works on this CD.
Listen to the
CD on Spotify;
excerpts on Naxos.
Available for purchase on Amazon,
among other places.
The CD booklet with program notes and bios of the
performers is located here.
