Laurie Sears has been a saxophone faculty member at Interlochen Center for the Arts since 2000, teaching in the Arts Academy, Summer Arts Camp, and College of Creative Arts. She is a retired Director of Jazz Bands and woodwinds instructor at Northwestern Michigan College, and has taught at Grand Valley State University and at institutions in Chicago including Columbia College and Concordia University.

An accomplished performer on saxophone, flute, and clarinet, Laurie has worked with the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Traverse City Philharmonic, and numerous jazz ensembles. She has shared the stage with iconic artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, and Henry Mancini.

Laurie holds music degrees from Indiana University, where she studied under Eugene Rousseau and David Baker.