Laura Samuel

Laura Helen Samuel (4 January 1976 – 21 November 2024) was a British violinist. She was a member and the co-founder of Belcea Quartet and leader of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Biography Samuel was born in 1976 in London, one of two daughters of Alison Samuel (née Paul) and Robert Samuel. In 2012, Samuel became the leader of the orchestra.

In the early stages of her career, she received a number of prizes, including those of the Royal Over-Seas League, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Manoug Parikian Award, and the TWIYCA Competition.

She had a five-year residency at the Wigmore Hall in London. As a teacher, she worked for institutions such as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Samuel joined the Nash Ensemble in 2010.

After a long illness, Samuel died on 21 November 2024, at the age of 48 from leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. Her parents, her sister Naomi, and her husband Mark Patterson survive her.