Biography

Praised for his “vibrant intensity” (The Times, London) and playing “supremely convincing in its vitality” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), violinist Kevin Lawrence has consistently elicited superlative responses for his performances throughout the United States and Europe. His assertive style and strong musical personality have thrilled audiences at Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and in Houston, Chicago, London, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Rome, Prague, Bucharest, Sofia, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Amsterdam, where the Dutch press described him as “simply miraculous.” (Het Vaderland).

Lawrence has premiered sonatas by contemporary American compositional voices Laura Kaminsky and Judith Shatin, and chamber works by Evan Chambers, Michael Rothkopf and Lawrence Dillon. His release of the complete violin works of the American composer Arthur Foote on the New World label was “highly recommended” as “beautifully played” by the Washington Post, and heard on the Ken Burns series “Not for Ourselves Alone,” broadcast on PBS; his second CD of American violin sonatas, recently released by New World, was hailed as “vital playing” and “a labor of love” by ClassicsToday.com. He is also heard with renowned flutist Carol Wincenc on a recording of American flute quintets released by Bridge Records, and named as 2012 Critics Choice by American Record Guide. Other chamber music collaborations include performances with Raphael Hillyer, Sheila Browne, Caroline Coade, Matt Haimovitz, Steven Doane, Ransom Wilson, Eugenia Zukerman, Daniel McKelway, Joseph Robinson and David Jolley. Lawrence also performs regularly with pianist Dmitri Vorobiev and cellist Brooks Whitehouse in the Black Mountain Trio. Named to honor the vision of Black Mountain College, a vibrant artistic and educational institution that enriched the cultural history of North Carolina during the middle of the 20th century, this ensemble has performed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont and Ohio, as well as Beijing and Shenzhen, China.

Kevin Lawrence received his musical education at The Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Ivan Galamian and Margaret Pardee. While at Juilliard he also studied chamber music with Felix Galimir and continued his chamber music study with Josef Gingold at the Meadowmount School in Westport, New York. In 1980, Galamian appointed Lawrence to the Meadowmount faculty, where he taught for 14 summers. After serving as dean and then artistic director of the Killington Music Festival, he founded Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival (www.gmcmf.org) in Vermont in 2004; since retiring as Green Mountain’s director at the conclusion of the 2021 season, he serves as the festival’s artistic director emeritus. 

Lawrence has given master classes throughout the United States and in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Russia, Canada, Israel, Venezuela, Costa Rica, China, Thailand and Korea. Since 1990 he has taught at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he currently serves as chair of the string department and which recognized him with its Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007.