Amy Laursen, M.M. (née Menard) won the Gulf Coast Symphony’s 2022-23 Fellowship for violin/viola. A second generation Florida native, she grew up playing in the Sarasota Youth Orchestra, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Florida State University, and then aced her way through a Master of Music Performance from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She has travelled internationally and played with 24 orchestras, sitting Principal in eight of them. A rock star at heart, she has played with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and toured with The Eagles last year during their Hotel California Tour. 

Amy has taught music at K-12 and collegiate levels, specializing in Orchestra and Chorus. An accomplished pianist and choral conductor, she also has extensive experience in church music leadership, including three years as Director of Music at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, which now shares a campus with the Music and Arts Community Center. 

Amy co-founded a digital marketing company named Fundibu with her husband Dan, and they live in Fort Myers with their two young children. In her free time, she loves playing in her local rock band Violet Midnight and making recordings with Grammy aspiring singer/songwriter Oliver St. John.