Laena Batchelder

Laena Grace Batchelder is a violinist, musician, and social justice advocate. Following her mission to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music, she has programmed works by female, minority, contemporary, and non-traditional composers in her recitals including her honors project recital, Women of American Chamber Music. She believes in combining classical and popular music to appeal to wider audiences which she has implemented in recitals and YouTube videos. Laena also aims to apply these ideals to her teaching in her private studio. She learned violin from age six with the Suzuki Method, so that philosophy and repertoire are very present in her teaching. She has also been trained in teaching the method through Book 2. However, she incorporates many other methods and has assigned pieces from Music by Black Composers and the Barbara Barber method books as well as arrangements of popular songs.

Laena graduated with a Master of Music at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) studying with Charles Wetherbee. Her studies there focused on chamber music, string pedagogy, and expanding her own technique and repertoire. Previously, she graduated from Texas Christian University (TCU) in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance (summa cum laude). She studied with Elisabeth Adkins at TCU and with Martha Walvoord during her high school years. She has attended summer festivals such as Wintergreen, the Texas Music Festival, the TCU Quartet Intensive, and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute. She is also a section violinist with the Boulder Symphony and the Arapahoe Philharmonic.

​In addition to music, Laena enjoys reading, knitting, swing dancing, progressive politics, and hanging out with her friends.