"The instrument is my voice."

I have huge hands. I can reach a twelfth on the piano, and physically, the bass is the perfect instrument for me. And, unlike some, I listen to music from the bottom up. The bass line has always drawn me—it's really the heart beat of any piece of music. . .Many times I turned down the bass on my father's stereo and added my own; it didn't seem to matter whether it was Beatles, Beethoven or Ray Brown.


"I want to know what I can't do—I'm not afraid to fail. . ."

In the spring of 1970, just prior to graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music, I auditioned for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. (The first time I auditioned was when I was a senior in high school, but I only made the finals then.) I won, and was able to play in the same bass section with one of my teachers, Leslie Martin. I've been with the BSO now for 28 years. In that time, I've graduated from being the youngest member of the orchestra and section bass player to 'Uncle Larry' and assistant principal bass of the Boston Symphony. I've also served as principal bass of the Boston Pops, and I now proudly play in the same bass section with one of my former students!


"A recital at Carnegie Recital Hall seemed the perfect debut."

I've played all over the world. One of the things that got my career off to a good start occurred when I went to New York quite early in my affiliation with the Boston Symphony. I met Gary Karr, my former teacher on Seventh Avenue and mentioned that I wanted to do a recital. This might seem audacious to some. But I booked the Carnegie Recital Hall, and as it turned out, got very good reviews. After that, more recitals, recordings, and teaching followed, including performing as soloist in such venues as Jordan Hall in Boston, Kilbourne Hall in Rochester (Eastman School of Music) and Symphony Hall in Boston. A solo bass and piano recording—Lawrence Wolfe, Double Bass—is presently being reissued with additional material. I've also judged the International Double Bass competition on the Isle of Man in England, and at the invitation of the Australian String Teachers Association, I toured the major cities of Australia playing recitals and teaching master classes. My performing career has been as varied as it has been rewarding: I invent challenges and rise to them. (When I felt a bass and piano recital wasn't enough, I found an orchestra and did a concerto concert!) My two latest and greatest challenges are this Web site and 'adopting' the fifth grade classes at the McKay School in East Boston as part of the BSO 'Godparent' program.


"I've always had more questions than answers. I push myself, and that helps me break new ground."

I think this inclination has made me a better teacher. Because I'm always searching for ways to improve my own playing, I bring this practice of self-inquiry into the teaching studio. My students know that look on my face: I'm searching for a better way to play, or a better way to explain my ideas to them. I teach and coach chamber music at the Tanglewood Music Center each year (where, early in my career, I was awarded the Albert Spalding Prize for the most promising and outstanding instrumentalist), and I serve on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston University, and the Boston Conservatory of Music. I love teaching because it makes me dig deeper to find how to best help my students. I've often saved them endless hours of searching for the right solution to a technical or interpretation problem because I'm so used to looking for those answers in my own playing—it's how I live my life as a musician—always striving to do be the best at what I do.

Click here to commission an original composition by Mr. Wolfe or air your music over the Web through the On Stage section of this Web site.