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LAURA AND THE LADS
• Recognized as a Master Folk Artist by the Minnesota State Arts Board
Laura MacKenzie has learned from many noted tradition-bearers on both sides of the Atlantic, and has herself been recognized as a Master Folk Artist (Minnesota State Arts Board). Laura began playing traditional music at ceilis (dances or social gatherings) within the St. Paul Irish-American community and soon became immersed in both the music and dance. Performing and recording with diverse ensembles, from Boiled in Lead (world beat rock 'n reel) to Lorie Line's Pop Chamber Orchestra, MacKenzie has enjoyed vast and varied experience in the world of music. A number of honors have been awarded to Laura over the years for her participation in this realm of music. She was selected to perform in the original "Cherish the Ladies" concert series, featuring noted women in Irish music in America. She placed in traditional singing at the Chicago Fleadh Cheoil, which meant the privilege of singing at the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann (in Ireland). Laura has won Minnesota Music Academy awards in both Celtic vocal and Celtic instrumental music and has been awarded a McKnight Foundation Performing Arts Fellowship as a solo artist. Laura has been a featured performer for the National Flute Association and for public radio, including appearances on "A Prairie Home Companion". She has performed on stage in theatrical productions at the Guthrie Theater and with Pulitzer Prize winning Irish author Frank McCourt. Solo and with bands, Laura has performed at folk festivals across the United States, including the Milwaukee Irish Fest, North Texas Irish Festival, Champlain Valley Folk Festival and the Great River Folk Festival. MacKenzie has been privileged to perform with some of the great names in Irish music, including Daithi Sproule, Paddy O'Brien, Liz Carroll, Martin Hayes and Katie McMahon. She has also been honored to share the stage with heroes of Scottish and English piping - Hamish Moore, Jon Swayne and Julian Goodacre. As a player and producer, Laura is often engaged for live shows and studio projects, and can be heard on numerous recordings. She has produced and co-produced a number of commercial projects, one of which has sold 500,000 copies. In 2000 and 2001, Laura produced and performed in "Gaelfest!", part of The O'Shaughnessy's "Women of Substance" series, which also featured such notable artists as Natalie McMaster and Sweet Honey in the Rock. Laura currently performs solo, with several ensembles including Laura and The Lads, Piper's Crow and the Katie McMahon Band, and tours nationally with Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra. In St. Paul, Laura teaches students of Irish and Scottish music on whistle and flute, and at long last is working on her own CD. Today, Laura fills life with performance, practice, private teaching, studio recording, production work, the imagining of pine forests and the parenting of the amazing teenager, Dugan MacKenzie Magraw.
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