Laura Altman is a clarinetist, improviser and composer, born and based in Sydney. She has been an important voice on the Sydney improvised music scene since 2007, playing with groups such as The Splinter Orchestra and Prophets, and collaborating with many other Australian and international musicians. Laura has toured Australia and Europe with a range of projects including the internationally renowned trio ‘Great Waitress’, featuring Monica Brooks on accordion and Berlin-based pianist Magda Mayas, who also have several acclaimed CD and LP releases to their name.

Laura graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a B.Mus Composition (Honours) in 2011, writing both instrumental and electro-acoustic music. She has had works commissioned and performed by Sydney Antiphony, Ensemble Offspring, North Sydney Girls High School and ACRONYM Orchestra and has developed exploratory pieces for primary school students. She has more recently been exploring sound installations.

Laura also plays clarinet in and composes for folk/balkan/jazz ensemble Chaika.

Laura was co-director and co-curator of the NOW now Series and Festival of Exploratory Music from 2010 until 2013, and continues to organise exploratory music events in Sydney. She has co-founded the Sydney exploratory music calendar www.emus.space.

As an educator, Laura has experience teaching private clarinet students, tutoring composition to senior high school music students, facilitating school workshops and also running early-childhood music classes with organisation Bluebell Music.