Author name: Director of Music & Arts Laura Weiss

Director of Music & Arts and Worship Coordinator lweiss@uucf.org UUCF’s Director of Music & Arts/Worship Coordinator Laura Weiss is one half of the duo, Unfolding, the artists behind the album "Not Your Mamas' Hymns." She teaches over 40 piano students out of her private music studio in Vienna, VA. She is the program director for advocacy and professional support for the Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries, providing music directors and musicians nationwide with conflict resolution and low-level mediation as they navigate collegial concerns or conflicts. Laura was band leader for the Unitarian Universalist Association's national conference, General Assembly, in 2019. Laura joined UUCF in August 2016. She grew up near Baltimore but spent 17 years in New England before returning to the DC metro region. She holds a bachelor’s in music and a master’s in education from the Center for Creative Teaching at Bennington College in Vermont. She is an Orff and Kodaly trained educator and has taught in numerous educational settings. She has also served as music director or conductor for artistic organizations throughout the United States. She has served various faith communities for more than 20 years. Laura is passionate about music and ministry and believes that music in worship should be relevant and intimately performed. She believes that it is through the arts that the deepest parts of our emotional and shared experiences can be felt. She feels a strong calling to serve the UUCF community. Laura and her daughter, Adia, live in Vienna, VA.