Laurel Borden

American violist, Laurel Borden enjoys an active freelance career performing with several orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. Currently, residing in St. Petersburg, Florida, Laurel performs regularly with the Sarasota Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, and Opera Tampa. Additionally, Laurel was a member of both the Florida Grand Opera and Palm Beach Symphony for five seasons from 2011-2016. Other orchestras Laurel has performed with include the Pittsburgh Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Southwest Florida Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, and Canton Symphony.

During the summers, Laurel is the Principal Violist of the Ash Lawn Opera Orchestra in Charlottesville, VA and is a regular member of the Artosphere Festival Orchestra in Fayetteville, Arkansas and the Sun Valley Music Festival in Idaho.

Outside of the United States, Laurel has had the opportunity to perform in the Dominican Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Turkey. She has performed with the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Originally hailing from a family of orchestral musicians in Nashville, TN, Laurel went on to study at the University of Michigan and Manhattan School of Music.  Her most influential teachers include Yizhak Schotten, Karen Dreyfus, Caroline Coade, Dan Reinker, and Kathryn Plummer