Jens F. Laurson

Jens F. Laurson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the International Affairs Forum, translator, and a free-lance journalist. His work has been published in Forbes, the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Baltimore Sun, et al. He has written on classical music for the Washington Post, Chamber Music America, Crescendo [Germany], Listen Magazine, Musical America, Opera [UK], American Record Guide, Fanfare, Opera Canada, WGMS.com, and for the Washington culture-blog ionarts.org. From 2007 until 2011 he was the Critic-at-Large for Washington Classical WETA 90.9 FM. Jens grew up in a musical household, with a love especially for Bach instilled from an early age. That he could read notes before he could read letters lent (eventually disappointed) hope to the family that he might step into the footsteps of his harpsichordist uncle whose vinyls of Scarlatti he grew up on. He joined the Regensburger Domspatzen, despite a distinct lack of Catholicism, but did not pursue an active role in music thereafter. He is a musical omnivore and listens with equal zeal to anything from Renaissance to contemporary music, to opera, chamber, instrumental and orchestral music. A music library of some 10000 discs speaks to his general obsession; a more particular love focuses on Bach, the addiction of Mahler, and 'twice forgotten' 20th century composers who had their work seen overtaken by neglect first for biographical, the stylistic reasons. Franz Mittler, Eric(h) Zeisl, Joseph Marx, Walter Braunfels, Erwin Schulhoff, and the like among them.