LAURA OLTMAN
Hailed by The New York Times as "Fresh, Hot, and Headed for Fame," The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo explores the farthest reaches of the ensemble literature, performing and recording the premieres of many new works. Guitarists Laura Oltman and Michael Newman collaborate with such diverse artists as mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and folk singer Sally Rogers, violinist Arnold Steinhardt and fiddler Jay Ungar, Celtic artist Seamus Egan, and the Lark and Turtle Island String Quartets. Ensemble-in-Residence at New York's Mannes College of Music and recipients of numerous grants and awards including those from the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America, the duo's concert tours have taken them to forty-nine states, to Asia, Europe, South America, Canada, and the Caribbean, featuring performances at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Ambassador Auditorium, the Caramoor Festival. and Princeton and Yale Universities. Newman and Oltman are Music Directors of the Raritan River Music Festival and direct the guitar program at Bowdoin Summer Music Festival.