082 – Lauren Kosty: Playing It All…From Percussion to Drumset, from Classical to Pop, from L.A. to London

Lauren Kosty is a classically trained percussionist who has been upping her drumset game in recent years. She spent her entire life in L.A. until she moved to London in February of 2015, where she quickly won an open audition for the drumset/percussion chair with crossover artist Russell Watson. Watson combines operatic singing with various pop styles, making the gig the perfect culmination of Lauren’s many skills. She describes London as “maybe the best city in the world to be a musician in.”

Before moving there, she was commanding a busy schedule in L.A. involving orchestras, musicals, and pop acts, both live and in the studio. Her credits include John Williams, Sir Neville Marriner, Gustavo Dudamel, David Benoit, P. Diddy, Chris Botti, Bobby McFerrin, Brian McKnight, the L.A. Philharmonic, The Long Beach Opera, Dave Ricard Big Band, and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

In this podcast Lauren talks about:

How she moved to London knowing almost no one there

How her first few months in London gave her the opportunity to expand her drumset chops

The audition for Russell Watson, and her clever approach to the improvisation portion of it

How she bent a few rules at USC in order to get a greater diversity of playing experience

The rigors of preparing for orchestral auditions

How her interest in a wide variety of instruments and music has led to a wide variety of gigs

Her early impressions of the art and music culture of Europe vs. that of the U.S.

This episode is sponsored by Sakae Drums