Laura Escudé is a critically-acclaimed music technologist, violinist, composer, sound designer and educator. She specializes in the software program Ableton Live and became one of the first Ableton Certified Trainers in 2008. In 2009 she worked with Cirque du Soleil as an Ableton programmer, toured Europe with acclaimed world music band Niyaz and was a tour consultant for Kayne West.
Laura is the “Ableton Live authority” in Los Angeles. She was L.A.’s first Certified Ableton Trainer and is the Director of L.A.’s highly successful Ableton User Group, which she launched in 2007. As an Ableton consultant and former West Coast Product Specialist, she has keynoted presentations at industry events, including NAMM and Remix Hotel. In 2009 she launched the Ableton Live Master Class series, presented by her company Electronic Creatives and in conjunction with other Ableton Certified Trainers in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Laura attended Vanderbilt University and Florida State University, earning a B.A. in Music (Violin Performance) with an emphasis in Commercial Music and Business. She also attended the Film Scoring program at UCLA Extension. Classically trained, Escudé often performs with bands and ensembles, including Niyaz, Trace Element, the Santa Monica Symphony, the Torrance Symphony, the Multi-Ethnic Star Orchestra (MESTO), and the Observatory Orchestra.
Laura has recorded for composers, including Carmen Rizzo and Eric Whitacre, as well as for artists, including Sage Francis and PlatEAU. She has created sound design for the films Lovewrecked and Red is the Color, and has recorded violin for films, including Michael Apted’s documentary The Power of the Game, and HBO’s The Song Story, Kissing Cousins and Welcome Home.
As an educator, Laura has taught at the International Academy of Design and Technology, The Art Institute-Los Angeles, and the California Design College. She frequently accepts invitations to lecture and give presentations on music and technology at such schools as the Ex’pression Center for the Arts, CalTech, UCLA, USC, Santa Monica College, the SAE Institute and the Musician’s Institute. She is the author of several video tutorials, including Streamworks Audio: Complete Reason 4, How Audio’s “Performing With Ableton Live” and “Introduction to Melodyne” and Lynda.com’s “Ableton Live 8 Essential Training”.
Laura performs her solo work regularly at trendsetting Los Angeles venues, including Create:Fixate and has performed original works at the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (LACMA), the Architecture + Design Museum, as well as KXLU and KUCI. She has opened for artists including Funkstorung and Robert Rich and has performed on KCRW’s flagship program, Morning Becomes Eclectic.
A Renaissance artist for the New Age, Laura’s mastery of cutting edge musical technologies and experimental techniques, complemented with her classical training and experience performing in symphony orchestras, sets her apart in a class of her own. Her solo project encompasses a myriad of genres, utilizing live electronics, synthesis, found sounds, samples and violin affected by hardware and software. Laura’s musical virtuosity is the driving force powering her unique experimental cinematic-accented violin compositions, as well as her desire to connect and work with artists around the globe.
Laura's music can be found here: www.lauraescude.com
