About the artist

Laura Magnani, Spoleto (Italy) native, holds a double Diploma in Piano and Voice, earned with honors at the Conservatory of Perugia, a DMA in piano performance at the “Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia” in Rome and a Master’s Degree in Piano at the Conservatory of Perugia. She attended many Masterclasses in Italy, Europe and USA along with eminent pianists such as S. Perticaroli, A. Delle Vigne, B. Petrushansky, M. Campanella, D. Pollack, Daniel Glover, Paul Hersh and many others. Since age 15 she’s been active as a performer, touring Italy, Europe, USA and Canada as a soloist and in various chamber music ensembles, gaining the enthusiasm of her audiences and the critics’ acclaim (the Italian newspaper “La Nazione” defined her “…a peppercorn full of talent”).

On personal invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti, she performed repeatedly at the Festival of the Two Worlds and has been the Ambassador for her town at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston (SC). She has served as the artistic director of the Spoleto Piano Festival for 15 years.

Since moving to California in 2013, Ms. Magnani has been actively concertizing for many Bay Area organizations, including Stanford University, Silicon Valley Italian Festival, San Francisco’s Museo Italoamericano, Leonardo da Vinci Society, Old First Church and 405 Shrader; Berkeley’s Town and Gown, and Marin County’s Musica Marin, among others.

Ms. Magnani became a performing member of the prestigious Berkeley Piano Club in 2016.

Sought after as an adjudicator for piano competitions, Ms. Magnani is equally in demand as a piano teacher, an accompanist and a vocal coach. Active member of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC), she teaches piano and chamber music at Marin Academy High school in San Rafael and at the Marin Waldorf School, as well as maintaining a full private studio in Novato. She recently achieved the position of Principal Accompanist of the Marin Lutheran Church in Corte Madera.