Lorna MacLachlan has been writing, arranging, and performing her own music for over 3 decades. “I’ve always written, it is my instrument”, explains the composer. She pursued composition and studied at the University of Calgary with Gregory Levin, Marilyn Engel and Allen Bell, to name a few but in her last year of her graduate degree she became very interested in combining the structure of “Art music and Electronic music” with the freedom of improvisation.

After completing a graduate degree in Composition and theory she embarked on a career as a composer providing award winning original music for Theatre, Dance and National media companies (CBC, Access Network) as well as a variety of commercial and artistic enterprises across the spectrum of music genres. She has recorded five full length albums of original music and has had support from FACTOR, the Alberta Foundation for the performing arts as well as the Canada Council. She continues to work on commissioned pieces for various groups but much of her focus today is writing for her quintet. This group has been performing together for 20 years with very small changes in players. Robin Tufts (drums), Richard Harding (Saxophones), Andre Wickenheiser (trumpet) and Jeremy Coates (bass) help bring Lorna’s instrumental and vocal pieces to life and to supportive audiences.

As well, Lorna has always been passionate about music education and believes strongly in helping to develop the talents of the next generation. She has taught privately as well as for the public and private school boards and has been recognized nationally for her dedication to excellence in music education.