Bekka's Frogland Orchestra

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Laura Boytz

CELLIST

Laura Boytz, cellist, grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she learned to love water in many forms (rivers, lakes, Puget Sound, the Pacific Ocean, and rain). She started playing cello in elementary school (thanks to then-decent music education in public schools), playing with youth orchestras, baroque chamber ensembles, and high school musical theater groups. She moved to Oakland, California as a young adult and, sadly, let her cello-playing lapse for more than a decade as she pursued other interests.

She returned to playing cello with a strong interest in Jazz and improvised music about seven years ago. Since then, she has been grateful for opportunities to study and perform with several gifted musicians through Bay Area wonders such as BerkeleyÂ’s Jazzschool, Jazzcamp West, and Plaza Cuba (which allowed her to study and play with amazing musicians in Havana, Cuba). She made her professional music debut backing up vocalist Denine Monet at the San Jose Jazz Festival in 2001, and has performed with several small ensembles since then, with a special interest in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian-influenced jazz. She is especially proud of her work with Bay Area latin jazz trombonist/composer/godfather Wayne Wallace.

Laura still loves the water, spending time whenever she can sailing on San Francisco Bay. She also teaches high school English and dances salsa. Frogland inspires her because of the way the group welcomes eclectic, cross-cultural musical explorations and links performance to stewardship of our natural environment.