Laurel Thomsen Music

I'm a Classically trained internationally touring violinist and violist, passionate about exploring the range of emotions and genres a bowed-stringed instrument is capable of.

Whether I'm performing on stage or at an event, with a student, or in the recording studio, I enjoy diving into the creative unknown. From interpreting a Classical masterwork, to arranging a fiddle tune, or composing string parts for a singer-songwriter, I love bringing notes to life.

Born and raised in Monterey, California and based in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I've been performing around the California Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area since I was a teenager, and have spent the last several years extensively touring North America and Europe with Canadian songwriter Dan Frechette as our duo Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen. We released our fifth album, "After the Fire," in 2022.

As a young teen in 1996, my first student approached me about taking lessons and I fell IN LOVE with teaching. As reported by the New York Times, in 2009 I expanded my studio to embrace online students as one of the earliest music teachers offering lessons via Skype. I have since enjoyed troubleshooting challenges and inspiring dedicated violin, viola, fiddle, and cello students in dozens of countries and on every continent except Antarctica.

I have been honored to have had dozens of my technique and practice articles published in Strings and Fiddler magazines, and my passion for sharing the tips and insight I've discovered along the way led me to create the Violin Geek Blog, Violin Geek Podcast, and to date, three online courses addressing common technical challenges, such as vibrato, bowing, shifting, and intonation, in ways which use our natural biomechanics to our advantage.