About Lauren
Lauren Spavelko (b. 1989) is a composer, educator, and performer in Columbus, Ohio.
Spavelko composes to inspire deeper connections with one another and ourselves. In her diverse works, listeners find play, healing, joy, and catharsis.
She has been commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Johnstone Fund for New Music, the Central Ohio Symphony, and numerous artists and organizations. Her works have earned multiple national and international accolades, including the Spoleto Festival’s Young Composers Prize (Italy, Baby Book), the American Prize in Vocal Chamber Music: The Charles Ives Award (From Edna, with Love), and the Ruth Anderson Commission Prize (IAWM, Black Box 2.0). She has also been a finalist for the NATS Art Song Composition Award and the American Prize in Orchestral Music. Her music has reached audiences across the United States, Italy, Singapore, Vietnam, and Canada.
Among her notable works are Baby Book, a song cycle on miscarriage, pregnancy, and motherhood; Kéyah, a symphonic work in collaboration with National Parks Eminent Photographer Frank Lee Ruggles; and Grit, a widely performed string orchestra piece featured at honor and all-state festivals nationwide.
In addition to composing, Spavelko is a gifted educator.
She operates Musical Life, a private studio offering lessons in voice, piano, violin, and composition. She teaches theory and piano skills for musical theater at Otterbein University, guest presents in K-12 classrooms, and designs youth composition workshops. She also lectures on solo entrepreneurship for college students.
Spavelko performs as a vocalist, violinist, and pianist in both classical and commercial productions. She enjoys collaborating with artists and organizations in Columbus and beyond. She has performed with opera theaters, professional choirs, chamber orchestras, singer-songwriters, and as a soloist.
(Learn more and see her work on her performance page.)
From 2012 to 2014, Lauren toured with internationally renowned artist Tajci and manager/producer Matthew Cameron, performing in over 100 concerts as a violinist and vocalist while gaining experience in concert production, sales, and logistics. She has carried these skills forward in concert and recital planning both locally and internationally, as well as in her role as a director for Converging Arts Columbus.
She is a co-coordinator of the Institute for Composer Diversity's Chamber Music Database and serves on the boards of Converging Arts Columbus and the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society.
Spavelko is a graduate of the University of Louisville (M.M. Composition) and Ohio Wesleyan University (B.M. Music Education). She has studied composition with Steve Rouse, Clint Needham, and Jason Bahr.
You can hear her laughing through Columbus while swing dancing, fiddling, and singing, practicing yoga, painting, or making a joyful noise with her circle.