Who Am I?
It’s easier for me to talk about other peoples’ stories than my own, but here goes!
I love the outdoors. I love mountain biking and hiking and community with other people who are out enjoying nature. I also love wellness, science, and makeup (I’m also a professional makeup artist!). My true gift in this world is being of service to others. What do nature, wellness, makeup, and service have to do with playing the clarinet? Everything!
We are all a combination of our hopes and dreams and interests. Every person has a story and I enjoy meeting new people wherever I go. A person with many interests is MORE of a person. I’m more than “just” a clarinetist, and my students are more than “just” aspiring musicians.
I encourage my students to explore as many new experiences as possible. Getting to watch these wonderful, fascinating people as they learn new skills and approach new challenges is the greatest job I could ever imagine.
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. I’m always learning more about music, teaching, and life. More than anything, I hope to inspire a love of learning in everyone I meet.
I want so much more for my students than for them to be skilled at regurgitating something I said. My goal in teaching is to engage the whole individual, cognitively and behaviorally, and to understand them well enough to be able to guide them from theory to practical action. At the same time, students need to learn about responsibility and discipline so that they learn to take charge of their lifelong improvement.
I am dedicated to creating a fair and equal environment for my colleagues and students. Every person is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, in an environment free of discrimination.
I am proud to have created a wonderful, welcoming, inspiring community of musicians and teachers of all instruments and styles. Please join us here.
About Laura Grantier
Dr. Laura D. Grantier is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet and Woodwind Area Head at the University of Utah. She served as Secretary for the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Executive Board (2022-2024), is the ICA Utah State Chairperson, and was selected as Co-Artistic Director of ClarinetFest® 2027. She has appeared as featured soloist with the University of Utah Wind Ensemble, Philharmonia, and the Salt Lake Symphony. She performs frequently with the Utah Symphony, Intermezzo Chamber Series, and founded
the ICA Utah State Clarinet Choir which performed at ClarinetFest® 2023 (Denver, CO) and 2025 ClarinetFest® (Fort Worth, TX). Under her leadership, the University of Utah Clarinet Choir made their international debut at 2024 ClarinetFest® in Dublin, Ireland.
Artist Residencies and Masterclasses at the University of Utah include clarinetists Dr. Chris Nichols, Dr. Jeremy Reynolds, Dr. Charles West, Utah Symphony Principal Clarinet Tad Calcara, Associate Principal Clarinet Erin Svoboda-Scott, Cottonwoods and Voix des Femmes clarinet quartets, and composers Todd Cochran and Nadine Silverman. She has appeared as a guest artist at the Utah Clarinet Festival, Maryland Clarinet Day, ULL Woodwind Day, University of Alabama Alumni Guest Artist Series, and the University of California Northridge. In 2024, Dr. Grantier was awarded a Council of Dee Fellows research grant for the University of Utah clarinet studio to study multiple articulation with Utah Symphony clarinetist/bass clarinetist, Lee Livengood.
From 2021-2022, she was the Director of Woodwinds and Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Southern Utah University. She served as guest conductor at the 2022 SUU Honor Band, formed the SUU faculty woodwind trio, clarinet quartet which performed at the 2022 ClarinetFest in Reno, NV and flute choir which performed at the 2022 NFA conference in Chicago, IL. She also founded SUU Woodwind Day, a one-day student-centered symposium, dedicated to music education through recitals, and masterclasses. Featured guest artists included Dr. Charles West and Dr. Jeremy Reynolds.
From 1995-2021 she was a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. where she served as Principal Clarinet, Woodwind Leader, Clarinet Section Leader, and Harborwinds Clarinet Quartet Leader. She performed over 2,250 public concerts, military ceremonies, education workshops, and high-profile protocol engagements for high-ranking dignitaries, including the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, and Secretary of the Navy.
Prior to her appointment with the United States Navy Band, she pursued a Master of Music at the Eastman School of Music. She has performed with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Annapolis, Arlington, McLean, New World, Tuscaloosa Symphonies, and the National Symphony Orchestra. She was principal clarinet of the American-Russian Youth Orchestra, the Capitol Wind Symphony, and the Virginia Grand Military Band.
Dr. Grantier has appeared as soloist on numerous occasions with the United States Navy Band, including national tours and the 2014 Midwest Orchestra and Band Clinic in Chicago.
She was also a featured soloist at the 2013 CMEA conference, the 2012, 2014, 2016, and
2019 ClarinetFest® International Clarinet Association Conferences, 2017 Clarinetissimo in Seattle, the 2009 GMEA conference, the 23rd annual Alabama Honor Band Festival, and the Utah Clarinet Festival.
In 2012, Dr. Grantier founded Navy Band Clarinet Day, an annual education outreach symposium for clarinet students and enthusiasts. The event provided musical enrichment and interaction with Navy Band clarinetists and guest artists, representing the pinnacle of the profession from the orchestral, band, and academic arenas. For eight years, the symposium was presented in person to 125 participants annually and livestreamed to 23,000 online viewers globally. Past guest artists include Richie Hawley, Sean Osborn, Ricardo Morales, Jeremy Reynolds, Eugene Mondie, Larry Combs, Julie DeRoche, Mark Gallagher, Kathy Mulcahy, Robert DiLutis, and Mitch Estrin.
An active Chamber musician, Dr. Grantier is a member of Cottonwoods Clarinet Quartet,
Voix des Femmes Clarinet Quartet, Intrepid Duo with Dr. Jeffrey Allardyce, and Darkwood Duo with Dr. Lynn Vartan. New commissions include works by Todd Cochran, Jacob Nance, Jessica Rudman, Nadine Silverman, Kristian de Leon, and Kyle Pyke.
She earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama, an MBA from Averett University, and a DMA from the Catholic University of America. Her teachers are Scott Bridges, Ken Grant, and Eugene Mondie.
Dr. Grantier is a performing artist for Buffet-Crampon, Lee Livengood mouthpieces, Bradford Behn barrels, and Rice Clarinet Works.