Laura Toxværd

Laura Toxværd (b. 1977) is a Danish composer and saxophonist. Toxvaerd was brought up in the tradition of jazz music. Her particular interests became avant-garde and free jazz, and eventually more contemporary music. Her music has been described as “geometric post-jazz” (The Wire 302, April 2009) with such divergent inspirations as Charlie Parker and 1990s grunge music added a bit of electronica. As a composer she often explores the realm of graphic notations. In this special working technique she brings together visual art and music. The graphic score “Cackle Cabin” is published in the book antology Notations21 (Ed. By Theresa Sauer, Mark Batty Publisher, NY). So far she has released two albums as a band leader: Laura Toxvaerd No. 1 (ILK 127) and Do Drugs (ILK 168). The former was among the “Top 5 Best Debut Albums of 2007” in AllAboutJazz-New York.

In 2009 Laura Toxværd was one out of only three composers awarded the prestigious three-year working scholarship of the Danish Arts Council. The scholarship was given as a joint award by the the committees for classical and popular music. The committees wrote in their statement: “In her lively musicianship as a saxophonist, Laura Toxværd combines graphic score composition, improvisation, electronic components, and sound production in an integrated practice that communicates in an energetically insistent language. Toxværd’s musical nerve manages to encompass references, not only to odd corners of free jazz history, but also to machinery and animal noises in an expression ranging from cabaret-light to heavy-electronica … and all on an alto sax!”

Laura Toxværd earned a degree from Rhytmic Music Conservatory, Copenhagen. She studied saxophone with Sture Ericson and composing with Lotte Anker. During her studies she spent six months at Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur, Paris, and took classes with Barry Guy studing graphic notations. She has been recording with John Tchicai and Jacob Anderskov a.o.

At the moment she works both as a composer and a musician – in addition she studies ‘philosophy of music education’ at DPU, Aarhus University.