Biography
Photo by Loren Welles
Tim Laughlin, has recently held positions as the Founder and Music Director of ensemble ad|hoc and Assistant Conductor with the Orchestre Les Concerts Lalo du Conservatoire de Lille. Most recently, Laughlin lived in Lille, France, where he was a professor at l'Université Catholique de Lille and studied under Jean Sébastien-Béreau at the Conservatoire de Lille. As Founder and Music Director of ensemble ad|hoc, he and soprano Mary-Beth Brooks organized a highly-acclaimed and benefit concert in the Lille Cathedral for Téléthon, aiding in the fight against ALS. In and around the northern France area, he has also performed and conducted with l'Orchestre Les Concerts Lalo du Conservatoire de Lille under Eric Deltour, l'Orchestre Universitaire de Lille, and l'Orchestre La Folia, among others.
Laughlin graduated summa cum laude with a master's degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Butler School of Music of the University of Texas at Austin, studying under Jerry Junkin and, principally, Gerhardt Zimmermann. He also holds a bachelor's degree in Composition from Syracuse University along with additional honors and study in music history, horn performance, and conducting. Additionally, he intensely studied French and Italian, and in 2008 he was selected for study at Le Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France. While there he ate entirely too many pastries, drank just the right amount of wine, and found some time to study composition, horn, and music history with Mark André, Kevin Cleary, and Dr. Rudolf Weber, respectively.
While at the University of Texas, Laughlin was the Music Director of the UT University Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the UT Symphony Orchestra, and the inaugural Principal Conductor of the Engineering Chamber Orchestra (EChO). At Syracuse University Setnor School of Music, he held positions as Cover Conductor for the Syracuse Youth Orchestra under Dr. James Tapia and as Assistant Conductor of both the Setnor Brass Ensemble and the Syracuse Contemporary Directions Ensemble under Dr. James Welsch. He also assisted the Cornell University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras under the instruction of Chris Kim. Laughlin was the Music Director and Organist of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Liverpool, New York, for three years and also worked as an Emergency Medical Technician until his departure from the Syracuse area for the decidedly warmer climes of Austin, Texas. Texas barbecue may also have been a factor.
In Austin, Laughlin also served as Assistant Conductor for the Austin Symphony Orchestra under Peter Bay and as Managing Director of the Round Rock Symphony (now the Central Texas Philharmonic). He was the organist at Christ Lutheran Church and also found time to indulge his hobby, working as an EMT/EMD for Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services and St. David's South Austin Medical Center. Also active in theater, Laughlin is in demand as pianist, music director, and teacher, most recently working with the UT Department of Theater and Dance, the Georgetown Palace Theater, Zilker Theater Productions, and TexARTS Academy.
In 2010, Laughlin attended the Medomak Conductors Retreat in Maine, studying under Kenneth Kiesler et al., and in 2012 and 2018 he attended the International Conducting Workshop and Festival studying under Benjamin Loeb, Donald Schleicher, and Larry Rachleff.
Laughlin has recently competed in a number of international conducting competitions, including the Atlantic Coast International Conducting Competition, the inaugural International Opera Conducting Competition of l'Opéra Royal de Liège-Wallonie, and twice with the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors, where in 2015 he received an honorable mention from the pre-selection jury.
From 2019 to 2023, Laughlin was the Artistic Administrator of the Washington Bach Consort. He continues to freelance as an administrator, adjudicator, educator, arranger/orchestrator, organist/pianist, and conductor, and can be most recently heard as the soundtrack conductor for Terrence Malick’s film To the Wonder. He is currently pursuing post-baccalaureate studies in medicine at American University in Washington, DC, and is the Music Director at Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland.