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Laura grew up in Northern Utah in Logan near the Rocky Mountains. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Rice University (violin performance) in Houston, Texas. During her time at Rice, she gained an appreciation for other cultures and for travel. After Rice, she earned a Master’s Degree in Music from Ohio University and another Master’s Degree focusing on world music from the California Institute of the Arts. Prior to CalArts, Laura spent two years performing with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Charleston, West Virginia. Near the end of her time at CalArts, she received a Fulbright Grant to study Romani and Balkan music in Plovdiv, Bulgaria at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts for one year. This opportunity turned out to be one of her most transformative years yet. While abroad, Laura traveled throughout Bulgaria performing and researching, and to Turkey, Greece, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, and England. After returning to the U.S., Laura taught Middle and High School music at Laguna Blanca school, a college preparatory school in Santa Barbara, CA. Her son Gabriel was born in CA before she and her husband, Gerardo Flores Pacheco, moved to Boise. Laura also spent two seasons as an Interpretive Park Ranger with the National Park Service at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. Besides music, she has a passion for the outdoors, swimming, hiking, backpacking, camping, traveling, reading, yoga, photography, and spending time with family and friends.