Rachel C. Lauber is Cordancia’s principal conductor.  She is also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Orchestras and Conducting at the University at Buffalo and instructor of conducting at the Eastman Community Music School. She teaches conducting for the Eastman School of Music Immersion program as well as their summer high school intensive, Horizons.   She has served as Music Director of the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra, Livingston Symphony Orchestra (MI),  the University of Michigan Campus Symphony, Nazareth College Orchestra and conductor of the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra. She has appeared as guest conductor with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Slee Sinfonietta, the Holland Symphony Orchestra (MI) and Cordancia and has conducted throughout Italy.  

 

Lauber has served as Music Director of the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra(NY), Music Director of the Livingston Symphony Orchestra (MI), Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra, and has appeared as guest conductor with the Rochester Philharmonic (Rochester, NY), the Romanian-American Music Festival Orchestra (with members of the Detroit Symphony), the Slee Sinfonietta (Buffalo, NY), and the Holland Symphony Orchestra (MI).  In Detroit, she shared the podium in concert with Neeme Jarvi, Tom Wilkins and Mark Wigglesworth.  She was also director of the Detroit Symphony’s Unmasked Series working to plan camera shots, direct live cameras and collaborate with guest conductors (Nicolas McGegan, Roger Norrington, JoAnn Falletta, John Adams, Hans Graf and Tom Wilkins) on their pre-, post-, and interactive-concert discussions and lectures.  

Other podium work includes conducting performances of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi & Suor Angelica for the University of Michigan Opera.  She also served as Assistant Conductor and Musical Assistant to the Stage Manager for the Grammy Award winning performance/recording of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience (Naxos,2004). She has been Music Director of the University of Michigan Campus Symphony, the Nazareth College Orchestra, and the Shady Side Chamber Music Festival Orchestra. As a guest conductor, she has conducted throughout the United States and Italy. 

An active educator, Lauber has conducted multiple Area All-State festival orchestras in five states as well as two engagements with the New York State Conference All-State String Orchestra. She has worked with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Ms. Lauber studied orchestral conducting with Kenneth Kiesler at the University of Michigan, where she received her doctorate in orchestral conducting.  Additional studies have included the Conductor’s Retreat at Medomak with Mr. Kiesler, the Brevard Music Center with Gunther Schuller, the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling, and numerous workshops of the Conductor’s Guild and the American Symphony Orchestra League including the Cabrillo Festival with Marin Alsop and James Ross. She studied in Italy at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and the Catania International Conductor’s Workshop in Sicily.