Dr. Maria Ortiz-Laboy

Biography

Dr. María Ortiz-Laboy, originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a passionate clarinetist, dedicated educator who celebrates the clarinet through performance, teaching, and Puerto Rico’s rich musical heritage.

She is currently a member of the clarinet sections of the Aiken Symphony and Opera Wilmington and has performed with various orchestras throughout the southeastern United States. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Virginia Blue Ridge Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of David Stewart Wiley. Internationally, she took part in the International Clarinet Summer Workshop in Domažlice, Czech Republic, where she studied with Ludmilla Peterkova. She also completed orchestral conducting studies at the prestigious Conductor’s Institute of South Carolina under Dr. Donald Portnoy.

In the academic field, Dr. Ortiz-Laboy is a clarinet professor at Clemson University, South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and has previously taught at Lander University. She has led workshops and masterclasses throughout South Carolina, helping students prepare for university auditions and SCBDA All-State assessments.

Deeply connected to her roots, Dr. Ortiz-Laboy actively promotes the clarinet repertoire in Puerto Rico. She has delivered recitals and lectures both in the United States and on the island, including appearances at the Virtual Porta del Sol Clarinet Festival (Escuela Libre de Música de Mayagüez), the Puerto Rico Summer Music Festival, and Clarinet Day at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, among others.

Her publication, “The Clarinet Repertoire in Puerto Rico: An Annotated Bibliography on Compositions Written for Clarinet by Puerto Rican Composers of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries,” is available through the University of South Carolina Scholar Commons and represents a valuable contribution to research on clarinet repertoire written by Puerto Rican composers and arrangers for the clarinet.

She has had the privilege of studying with renowned clarinetists such as Kathleen Jones, Dr. Dawn Lindblade-Evans, Dr. Oskar Espina Ruiz, Dr. Kristina Jones, Amitai Vardi, and Joseph Eller.

Through her performances, teaching, and cultural outreach, Dr. Ortiz-Laboy continues to inspire new generations of clarinetists — sharing her love for the instrument on stage, in the classroom, and across digital platforms.