Lawrence Holmefjord-Sarabi

Lawrence Holmefjord-Sarabi was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in May of 1991, to a Norwegian mother and Iranian father. His interest and love for music started early, he got his first keyboard as a four year old, and his all time favorite film was the original Fantasia by Disney.

At the age of 11 Lawrence had developed a love for classical music, and the eye opening experience came after watching Horowitz playing The Piano Concerto No3 in d minor Opus 30 by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Lawrence declared to his family that his goal was to become a concert pianist, and at the age of 11 1/2 he started his first piano lessons with Virginia Cayton.

While taking lessons Lawrence spent endless time studying the biographies of composers, attending symphonies and concerts to broaden his musical knowledge. He practiced hours every day, and after less than two years he was accepted as a student with Dr. John Robert Ringgold. Dr. Ringgold had studied under Artur Schnabel in Germany, and has a very international and diverse background.

Under Dr. Ringgold's leadership Lawrence has strengthened his technique and musicianship. To be able to dedicate enough time for practice was a problem while attending school, so Lawrence decided to study independently, and graduated from High School in two years time.

Lawrence also attended workshops at the Green Musical Center at Sonoma State University, where he performed Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn for two pianos. He has visited and played at Liszt Academy in Budapest, Grieg Conservatory in Bergen, as well as performed at many private events in California. This is his first public recital.

Lawrence currently resides in Healdsburg, California.