The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

Rich Lauver studied music theory and composition at the University of Texas at Austin with piano as his principal instrument. His piano teacher, Danielle Martin, was an alumna of the Peabody Conservatory. Mr. Lauver began playing piano at an early age and was frequently employed as a choral accompanist during his school years. At seventeen he was employed by Indiana University Northwest as a research computer programmer. At the University of Texas, where he originally majored in physics before switching to music, he began composing for and playing with various progressive, punk, new-wave, and alternative rock ensembles as a multi-keyboardist, synthesist, vocalist and MIDI programmer, in a performing career which lasted for some fifteen years. Mr. Lauver joined the staff of the Peabody Conservatory in 1999 as an ensemble coordinator, and currently manages the personnel, rehearsal and performance activities of the Peabody Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, Peabody Camerata, and Peabody Jazz Orchestra.

In 2001 Mr. Lauver released Trance Figures, a CD of music for synthesizers, piano, percussion, and mellotron, which he composed and produced in his home studio. The Peabody Chamber Winds debuted his Themes and Variations I from Terpsichore arranged for two brass choirs and percussion in Spring 2002, and his transcription of the epic 1973 Magma recording of Christian Vander's Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh, for 12 instrumentalists and 8 vocalists, was performed by the Peabody Camerata in April 2003. Vander remarked, upon hearing a recording of the concert, that "it was the closest version to the original spirit of MDK I have had the chance to hear." One of Mr. Lauver's recent compositions, Who Shall Invoke Her, for piano, two vibraphones, woodwind quartet and solo voice - based on a sonnet by American poet Alan Seeger - was debuted by the Peabody Camerata in April 2004. In December 2004 he released a new CD of music composed primarily with the Moog modular synthesizer, entitled Shimmer. His most recent CD, entitled Moon and Sun, was released in 2006, and marks the first time he has used guitars as the primary instruments in his recordings.

Rich Lauver's arsenal of physical instruments include a Yamaha P-200 digital piano which serves as his main controller keyboard, an Ovation CS255 12-string acoustic/electric guitar, Rickenbacker 660/12 solid body electric 12-string guitar, Rickenbacker 620 6-string electric guitar, Rickenbacker 650S Sierra electric guitar, and a Ross 705 vibraphone. His array of virtual instruments includes the Arturia Moog Modular V2 and Yamaha CS80V synthesizers, Miroslav Philharmonik Orchestral Workstation, GForce M-Tron VST 4.6 Mellotron, and the Eastwest/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra. He utilizes Cakewalk Sonar 6 sequencing and digital recording software, and Sibelius music notation software. His studio currently utilizes a custom built PC with an Intel E6600 Conroe dual-core 2.4GHz processor, a Compaq Evo D510 CMT computer with a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor, M-Audio Delta Series Audiophile soundcards, Behringer Eurorack MX2004A mixing console, Crown XLS202 power amplifier, and JBL 4410 Studio Monitor speakers.

In addition, Mr. Lauver is an accomplished photographer and digital artist, his work having appeared in the Washington Post.

For more information please visit richlauver.com.