Laura Bleakley is a Korean-American collaborative pianist from Honolulu, Hawaii. She will be joining the Houston Grand Opera’s esteemed Sarah and Ernest Butler Studio for their ‘24/’25 season. She recently finished her season at Utah Opera as a resident artist, serving as a pianist and coach on multiple productions including La bohème, The Little Prince, and Rigoletto. She is currently finishing up her summer at the Glimmerglass Festival as a young artist, where she has been acting as both principal coach and performance pianist on the world premiere of Rumplestiltskin and the Unlovable Children. She is also serving as the Assistant Youth Chorus Director on both Rumplestiltskin and Pagliacci, as well as assistant coach on Pagliacci and Elizabeth Cree. 

This is her second summer with the Glimmerglass Festival where she previously served as the principal and performance pianist for the world premiere of The Rip Van Winkles as well as assistant coach for Candide and Roméo et Juliette. She was also a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theatre of St. Louis in 2022, and a festival artist with Opera Saratoga for their 2020 and 2021 seasons. She was also the artist in residence at Opera in the Heights from 2019 to 2022.

           Laura has performed in masterclasses for distinguished artists such as Howard Watkins, Martin Katz, Kathleen Kelly, and Rita Sloan. She has performed on the National Public Radio’s for From the Top, performed and recorded multiple works for the Aura Contemporary Ensemble, and was featured in Houston Public Media’s Skyline Sessions. She also recorded an album of rare Russian art songs by Pavel Chesnokov and Alexander Gretchaninov for KNS Classical which received rave reviews in the Fanfare magazine. 

          Known for the “great charm and wit” that she brings to her playing, she began her musical career as an organist and received her Bachelors of Music in Organ and Piano performance from the University of Puget Sound. She received her Masters in Collaborative Piano at the University of Houston, under the tutelage of Timothy Hester, where she’s currently a Doctoral Candidate in Collaborative Piano. 

           Ms. Bleakley has won multiple competitions in both instruments including the MTNA State Piano Solo Competition, first alternate in the MTNA Chamber Music Competition regionals, American Guild of Organists Competition, Hawaii Institute of Contemporary Music Competition and the Aloha International Piano Festival and Competition. She was also chosen as the Presser Scholar of the year in 2012. 

In her spare time, Laura likes to read books with her two cats Godzilla and Gandalfa the Grey.