Dr. Lauren Pokorzynski is a chamber musician, orchestral musician and educator. In 2023, Lauren was appointed as violinist of the Quapaw Quartet in Little Rock, AR. She will also serve as Section Violin of the Arkansas Symphony for the 23-24 season. Lauren most recently served as Guest Concertmaster for the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra in 2023 as well as Principal Second Violinist at the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra from 2019-2023. Lauren has also served as Concertmaster for the University Symphony Orchestra at Texas Tech University from 2016-2019, under the baton of both David Becker and Philip Mann. She is also currently Associate Concertmaster of the Lubbock Chamber Orchestra and is involved in both Chamber Music Amarillo in Amarillo, TX and the West Texas Symphony in Midland, TX, serving as Principal Second and Associate Concertmaster, respectively. In March 2020, Lauren soloed with the Texas Tech New Music Ensemble “NOW” at their inaugural performance. In January 2018, Lauren won the concerto competition at Texas Tech University and performed the Korngold Violin Concerto with the University Symphony Orchestra in the Fall of 2018. She also soloed with the Benzie Symphony Orchestra of Michigan in July 2018 playing Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3. In January of 2018, Lauren co-founded the Lubbock chapter of Classical Revolution, bringing high-quality chamber music to an underserved community in an engaging and intimate setting.

In Lubbock, Texas, Lauren worked extensively with Amusement Park recording studios as a featured soloist on several albums and documentaries, and has premiered and recorded new music collaborations such as an active touring ballet entitled “Click”. Most notably, Lauren was recorded as Concertmaster for the Stephenson Trumpet Concerto, performing with soloist Andrew Stetson and the University Symphony Orchestra at Texas Tech University, recording under the MSR Classics label.

In 2021, Lauren performed with the L. Mattson Chamber Collective for their summer series in Allenspark, CO. Also in Colorado, Lauren served two seasons as the Administrative Assistant at the Lake City String Academy in Lake City, CO. Lauren was also a founding member of the Ethos String Quartet at the University of Colorado at Boulder. With this group, she performed the premier of String Quartet No. 1 by composer Daniel Cox on the new music series “Pendulum”. The Ethos Quartet later performed this piece as the opening act and pre-concert talk for the Grammy Award winning Kronos Quartet in 2015. The Ethos Quartet performed in Boulder, Colorado and surrounding areas, including a sold-out showcase in Aspen, Colorado. Lauren also had the opportunity to perform chamber music around Florence, Italy and neighboring cities with the cellist from the Ethos String Quartet.

While living in Michigan, Lauren won the Grand Traverse Musicale scholarship for four consecutive years, as well as being honored with the Concertmaster position at the Michigan Youth Arts festival her senior year of high school. She also participated in the Michigan Youth Arts concerto competitions and the Michigan All-State Orchestra. Lauren performed with the Bel Canto String Ensemble, soloing with the Benzie Symphony Orchestra in 2010. In High School, Lauren studied with Paul Sonner and Annie Chalex Boyle of the Interlochen Arts Academy, and participated in the Traverse Youth Symphony Orchestra as the Concertmaster for many of her High School years. Lauren also worked as an intern for Chamber Music North of Traverse City, MI, greatly increasing her passion for chamber music. Besides working as an intern, Lauren began teaching young children in her early teens, and has been certified in the Suzuki Method by William Starr. She now maintains a growing private studio in Lubbock, TX.

Lauren has participated in master classes with artists such as Rachel Barton-Pine, Andres Cardenas, Paul Kantor, the Takács Quartet and the Kronos Quartet. Lauren graduated with high honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Violin Performance, studying with Lina Bahn. She recently obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Texas Tech University in December 2022 studying with Annie Chalex Boyle. Her dissertation titled, “A Holistic Approach to Reframing Tension in Violin Performance” has already helped many violinists begin to unveil the truth about tension in their playing. Lauren is currently continuing to expand her knowledge of music and musicianship as a dedicated teacher and performer.