Laura Husbands is an award-winning guitarist from the United Kingdom. At the age of 15, she was accepted into the prestigious Chetham's School of Music. Two years later she went on to study at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Whilst there, Laura won the Chanterelle Guitar Competition (in 2004 and 2006), the NESCGS award in 2007 and the Dundee Guitar Festival Scholarship in 2008. Laura gained her bachelor of music in 2008 with first-class honors and successfully achieved a postgraduate diploma with distinction in 2009.
To continue her love of music, and most importantly the guitar, Laura moved to Denver in 2009 to study with Ricardo Iznaola. She graduated with an artist diploma in 2011 and master's degree in 2013 from the Lamont School of Music. There she was awarded Outstanding Graduate Student in Performance and Outstanding Graduating Classical Guitarist.
Laura has performed in venues across Europe and the US. Highlights include the Dundee Guitar Festival, the London Guitar Festival, Bolivar Hall and the Purcell Room. She has won top prizes in 11 international competitions across Europe, Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Laura has appeared as a soloist for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Glasgow Chamber Orchestra, and the Evergreen Chamber Orchestra performing Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez.
In 2024, Laura was asked to record and premiere Ricardo Iznaola’s brand new work, Los Caprichos de Alany. The book and recording are being released by Mel Bay near the end of the year.
Laura is currently adjunct faculty of guitar at the University of Denver, and instructor of guitar studies at Colorado Christian University. Laura is currently the artistic director of the Denver Guitar Festival and Competition. She is also active as a member of the Sakura Guitar Duo, with her husband, guitarist Robert Tanaka.