Laurence Sherr’s compositions have been performed on five continents, with albums released in Europe and the U.S. Studies examining his contributions include Laurence Sherr: Chamber Music for Flute. He has won top prizes in multiple composition contests and an array of awards, grants, and fellowships distinguish his achievements.
Dr. Sherr is recognized for his uniquely interconnected work on music related to the Holocaust, uniting his activities as composer, producer, lecturer, researcher, author, and educator. These activities are synthesized in his Music of Resistance and Survival Project. Sherr’s album Fugitive Footsteps: Remembrance Music, awarded a Gold Medal in the Global Music Awards, is noted for its “lamenting and profound beauty” and “powerful impact” (Fanfare). Through all this work, his purpose is to foster greater understanding and tolerance.
2025 highlights
• Composer-in-Residence, Lotus Project, Remembrance & Resilience Festival, NJ: 2 concerts with Fugitive Footsteps
• Music of Resistance and Survival Project excerpts, book launch event, Czech Embassy, Washington, DC: Sherr's chapter on his Music of Resistance and Survival Project included in the 2025 publication Stories of the Holocaust: Art for Healing and Renewal
• 30-Year Celebration – concert of Sherr's compositions, Kennesaw State University, Atlanta, GA
• Lecture: "Prisoner Music Performances in Auschwitz I, II, and III: Relationships among Performance Spaces, Music Function, and Repertory, and their Impact on Prisoners," Music, Violence, Memory in Auschwitz-Birkenau International Conference, Oświęcim, Poland
2024 highlights
• Edelmann-Rust Duo performs full concerts of Sherr's works in Germany with Sherr's in-concert presentations; Duo included Sherr works on 9 additional concerts in Germany and the U.S.
• Sherr lectures and performance, Forfest Festival, Czech Republic
• Duke University, Wake Forest University, and University of North Carolina, Greensboro performances
2023 Album Release
2022 highlights
• College Music Society National Conference performance, California State University–Long Beach (photo above)
• Edelmann-Rust Duo performances, Germany
• Nocturne for piano in Journal of Music Scores, published by SCHOTT MUSIC CORPORATION
2021 highlights
• In the Free Forests for oboe and piano, world premiere – Words, Music, Memory: (Re)presenting Voices from the Holocaust exhibit opening; Sherr's remembrance compositions featured in the exhibit and its "Gallery Guide"
• Three compositions for the Edelmann-Rust Duo featured in the German film MUSIKEN Jüdischer Komponisten – MUSICALE of Jewish Composers
2020 highlights
• Khayele's Waltz: World premiere of the bassoon–cello version by the Edelmann-Rust Duo, International Holocaust Remembrance Day event, Holocaust Museum LA, Los Angeles, CA
• CD releases include Nocturne for piano and Elegy and Vision for cello
2019 highlights
• Performances, lectures, and recordings: New Zealand three-city tour, Italy, and Republic of San Marino
• Capriccioso for flute and guitar, world premiere, Paris, France
• Featured composer on Performance Today
2018 highlights
• Music of Resistance and Survival concert plus lecture, Galicia Jewish Museum, Kraków, Poland (poster above)
• Performances in Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, and China; Radio New Zealand national broadcast