Katie O’Hara LaBrie is an active conductor, composer, clinician, and cellist from Northern Virginia. An educator at heart, Mrs. LaBrie spent the first 15 years of her career teaching orchestra in Fairfax County, Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from St. Olaf College, where she studied under Steven Amundson, and Masters of Music in Instrumental Conducting from George Mason University, where she studied with Anthony Maiello.
As a composer, Mrs. LaBrie’s inspiration grows from many sources such as family and nature, but primarily draws from her experiences as a music educator. She enjoys creating new music with the goal of being educationally sound, pleasing to audiences, and above all, fun for the players. She is passionate about sharing music with others and teaching students how to practice with purpose.
Mrs. LaBrie’s compositions have received many accolades including frequent selection as J.W. Pepper Editor’s Choice, as well as performances at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Directors Clinic and American String Teachers Association Conference. In 2022, she was honored as one of Yamaha’s “40 Under 40” for her action, courage, creativity, and commitment to growth in the music education field.
Mrs. LaBrie is the founding conductor of the Fairfax Chamber Players, and co-creator of “the Big IDEA” practice method. She lives in Fairfax, VA with her husband Joe, who is a middle school band director, and their budding musician, Liam.
