ARTIST BIO
Laura C. Bates (B.Mus) is a Canadian violinist, songwriter, vocalist and educator. Born in Stratford, Ontario and now based in Toronto, she has developed a strong reputation for technical musicianship and creative versatility throughout her 31 years of playing the violin. Laura was the first violinist to graduate from Humber College’s renowned Jazz and Contemporary Music program, but she cut her teeth busking on street corners, closing dive bars and living out of vans on cross-country tours.
Her wide range of talents in violin, voice, composition and arranging have made Laura a highly in-demand studio musician and sidewoman. While small in stature, she brings monumental tone and an immense amount of energy to all new challenges she faces in the studio and on the stage.
In addition to her regular projects The Boxcar Boys (prohibition-era jazz), Völur (brutal doom metal), and The Bowed Arts String Quartet, Laura has performed with Burna Boy, Ed Sheeran, Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield, Gowan, Scott Helman, iskwē, The Strumbellas, Tyler Shaw, Blood Ceremony, Classic Albums Live and Dillan Ponders.
Her violin can be heard on the film score for Braven starring Jason Momoa, the Netflix series Frontier, award-winning documentaries Prey (Rogers Audience Award, Best Canadian Documentary 2018), and Hurt (Platform Prize TIFF 2015).
She also performs an original composition in the film Octavio is Dead directed by Sook-Yin Lee. She is currently composing commercial scores for Canada Goose outerwear.
When she is not shredding on the fiddle, Laura can be found tending to her two tarantulas Dolly and Arwen and getting trained by her dog Taco.