Lauren Visel

Tennessee Technological University, BSci in Music Ed; University of British Columbia (Vancouver, CA), MMus Wind Conducting; University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), DMA Wind Conducting

While Lauren Visel is new to Carleton College, she has served as a conductor and educator for the last sixteen years. Before her doctoral candidacy at the University of Minnesota, Lauren served as the Interim Associate Director of Bands and Sessional Lecturer at the University of British Columbia where she taught Concert Winds, graduate and undergraduate conducting courses, and woodwind methods. Prior to her masters program at UBC, Lauren taught high school band for a decade, receiving Orange County’s Teacher of the Year in 2013, as well as the LIFE Award (Lead, Inspire, Focus, Excel) in 2015. Under her direction, the Orange County Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Conference in 2017–an honor reserved for only two bands in the state.

Lauren’s passion for conducting and commitment to artistry has led her to participate in various workshops and symposia throughout North America. Most recently, she was one of ten participants selected for the 2023 Eastman School of Music’s Conducting Workshop.

Representation of women in the arts and business is Lauren’s guiding force. Her dissertation research resulted in the creation of two Lili Boulanger orchestral transcriptions for wind band–D’un matin de printemps and D’un soir triste. In the summer of 2023, she established LadyBand, a feminocentric wind chamber group dedicated to performing works of women in collaboration with women-owned venues. She currently serves as LadyBand’s artistic director and co-conductor.

Lauren is a member of the International Conductors Guild, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), and the National Band Association.