American conductor Lauren Wasynczuk is known for her dynamic leadership and dedication to building culturally diverse bridges through the arts connecting communities.

She began her professional career as a saxophonist, having learned extensively from the teachings of the French and American School of Saxophone. She was a founding member and alto saxophonist of the nationally recognized La’Ventus Quartet. Described as “a choice ensemble that plays with style and elegance”, La’Ventus was a winner in the world’s most prestigious chamber music competitions, including the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition and the American Prize in Chamber Music Performance Competition.

Her professional highlights include conducting the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and Northern Ballet Sinfonia. Lauren has held assistantships with the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Psappha, served as a Leverhulme Arts Scholar with Opera North and Guest Conductor with Northern Ballet where she made her ballet conducting debut with Richard Rodney Bennett’s The Great Gatsby directed and choreographed by David Nixon CBE. She recently toured with the company conducting David Nixon's production of Beauty & the Beast.

Additionally, she was Cover/Assistant Conductor for Opera San Luis Obispo’s production of Verdi’s Aïda, the Marina del Rey Summer Concert Series where she made her opera conducting debut in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. She also served as Conducting Fellow with Miami Symphony Orchestra, Allentown Symphony Orchestra and Saratoga Orchestra. Lauren's dedication to the advancement of classical music extends beyond her conducting roles, demonstrated by her past service on the Board of Directors for Chamber Music Palisades and her involvement in the Development Committee for the American International Paderewski Piano Competition.

Deeply committed to community engagement, she has worked with non-profit arts organizations, providing access to high quality music education in communities in need of support for arts programming, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, Young Musicians Foundation, D’Addario Foundation, Hungry for Music and Homeboy Industries “Music Heals” program serving formerly gang-involved and incarcerated men, women and youth. She has also served as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which was showcased at the Florence Youth Festival’s 25th anniversary celebration, performing at iconic venues including the Loggia dei Lanzi.

Lauren thrives through collaboration and has designed and delivered inclusive and relevant performance projects across a wide array of contexts, while also creating new spaces for creative musical exploration integrating technology. Amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lauren embraced new artistic developments, combining electronic sound, visuals, and performance. With the increasing demand for new ways to keep performance alive during the pandemic, Lauren was selected by the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) to serve as Panelist for their webinar series: Virtual Performing in Real-Time.

A native of Los Angeles, California, she received her Master of Music in Conducting with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, UK), Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from The Hartt School (West Hartford, CT), graduating as a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA).