We recently connected with Laurie Vodnoy-Wright and have shared our conversation below.

Laurie , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My parents Elsye and Bernard Vodnoy, introduced the wonderful world of the violin to me at the age of four. A little eighth size violin, that I treasured, was given to me with the greatest of happiness. I often think what were my parents creative thoughts and why they shared the love of the arts at my very young age. I grew up with classical music, ballet, and the arts. My mother was a pianist and a landscape artist and my father played the cello and loved portraitures. My parents have both passed away now and I can’t ask them their deepest feelings of the arts. I believe this gift was given to them by their parents and back many generations. I thank them every day for this gift.

The Joy of Music. This joy brought me to feel, hear, see, and breath through sound. It matches my spirit. Music brings me happiness, love, sweetness, focus, creativity, and immense safety.

My music journey led me to play for our loved ones when they are very ill or passing away. I perform solo violin for Hospice, Alzeimer patients, Cancer patients and people with Parkinsons disease. Music can bring calm, joy. and kindness. Before death is a special time and empathy love and kindness in the form of song is so soothing. The notes and vibration of my strings are a kindness that hugs and comforts people. When I perform at a tempo that is very close to our resting heart beat that calm vibrates from my strings and helps create surroundings that are very peaceful calm. The arts are a powerful influence on people. On the way they think about themselves. On the way they process things. You see people who start out indifferent, or in pain, or distracted, then you see them become focused and relaxed. Their breathing will change. Often times their heart rate and blood pressure will change in ways that even the nurses were not able to do. My mission is to perform new and exciting programs teaching the importance every facet of music is and how it connects to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer, Dementia, illnesses, and that special time before death.

Laurie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

A bit about me:

Laurie Vodnoy-Wright is a concert violinist and co-founder of the Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota. She is a Principal Violinist of the orchestra since its inception. Laurie has performed throughout the United States, Austria and Israel. She was violinist with the Florida Orchestra for sixteen years, Sarasota Opera, Tampa Opera, Florida Opera West, Kentucky Opera, Gulf Coast Opera, and Principal second with the Midwest Chamber Orchestra. She has performed with many orchestras including the Kuchel Austria Festival, Nashville Symphony, Lexington Symphony, Battle Creek Symphony as Artist in Residence, Twin City Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Elkart Symphony, and Kalamazoo Symphony. Laurie is also sought after as a soloist comforting Alzheimer and Parkinson Place patients through music at Parkinson Place, Kobernick Aviva, and comforting our loved ones at Tidewell Hospice. She currently is the founder and violinist of the Avanti String Quartet. Laurie has a very busy contemporary performance career across Florida. She studied violin in Chicago with Adia Ghertovici, Victor Aitay, and Master classes with Isaac Stern and the Juilliard String Quartet.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My brother and I co-founded the Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota together in 2017. I love Chamber Music. Chamber music is a form of intimate classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments. Bach, Corelli, Vivaldi, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven wrote wonderful Chamber Music. My brother Robert is is a conductor. One day I said to him “Let’s start our own Chamber Orchestra. The idea was born in Sarasota Florida. .

My favorite composer is Vivaldi. A perfect world would be Vivaldi every day in your life. Vivaldi was an Italian composer that was born in 1678. He composed 300 solo compositions. He was one of the greatest Baroque composers. Vivaldi Four Seasons is very well know.

Our Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota concert on March 26, 2026 features Vivaldi Seasons from 3 different composers. Vivaldi Spring and Winter Piazzola Summer , and O’Connor Fall. It will be a very special evening.
For tickets: https://chamberorchestraofsarasota.ticketspice.com/four-seasons-mash-up
Our web site: https://chamberorchestrasarasota.org/
My web site: https://www.laurievodnoy-wright.com/

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Perhaps I would have greater resilience and trust in my journey. I have practiced 28,000 hours. Scales, etudes, sonatas, concertos, symphonies, and Chamber Music. I have performed as a soloist, in the Symphony, and with the Avanti Quartet. I have taught young to older violin students privately and music in dance programs, and during art classes. It all is a part of the creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laurievodnoy-wright.com/
• Instagram: lvwviolinist
• Facebook: Laurie Vodnoy-Wright Violinist
• Linkedin: Laurie Vodnoy-Wright
• Youtube: Laurie Vodnoy-Wright
• Soundcloud: Laurie Vodnoy-Wright
• Other: https://chamberorchestrasarasota.org/

Image Credits

ahwphotographs