Louise H. Lofquist

Biography

Louise Lofquist, pianist and mezzo soprano, has had an unorthodox musical career. She made her pianistic debut with the National Symphony at the age of 18 but opted for a liberal arts education in college and received degrees in European history from Duke and Stanford. After finally deciding she belonged in music, Lofquist was pursuing a master's degree in voice when a severe injury to her vocal cord cut short her singing career. She then returned to her pianistic studies, earning a master's degree in Accompanying from UC/Santa Barbara and a doctorate in Keyboard Collaborative Arts from USC. Since that time, she has become one of Southern California's most sought-after collaborative pianists and vocal coaches. She is also active as a piano soloist in Southern California, heard most recently in Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor.

Lofquist joined the music faculty of Pepperdine University in 2001. Since that time, her injured voice has gradually healed itself, and she has recently returned to professional singing. At Pepperdine, Lofquist teaches voice, diction, and vocal accompanying, and is Director of Chamber Music at the Pepperdine Summer Music Program in Heidelberg, Germany. Lofquist lives in Camarillo, CA with her husband, Grant Specht, an attorney, and her two sons, Dylan and Shane.

Education

• DMA, USC, 2000
• MM, UC/ Santa Barbara, 1994
• MA, Stanford, 1989
• BA, Duke, 1985, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa