A native of New York, Laurie Shulman grew up in an artistic family and around a considerable amount of live chamber music. Her father, Alan Shulman, was a prominent composer and cellist who was a charter member of the NBC Symphony under Arturo Toscanini. Her mother was a pianist and music educator.

Laurie Shulman

Laurie Shulman’s book, The Meyerson Symphony Center: Building a Dream

"This is a real page-turner, with outsized personalities and battles to match, crashes and burns and disasters barely averted, behind-the scenes wheeling and dealing and public outrage. . . . Shulman's recountings of the dramas--the funding crises, the media scrutiny, the last-minute scramble to ready the building for its opening--read as grippingly as a hot novel."
—Scott Cantrell, The Dallas Morning News
March 5, 2000

"Who would have thought that a book about the building of a concert hall would read like a best-selling novel? It has drama, intrigue, suspense, larger-than-life protagonists, and even some humor. And there’s a happy ending: Vision and commitment triumph over mediocrity, and the result is one of the world’s greatest concert halls."
—Andrew Litton, Music Director,
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
After graduating from Syracuse University, Laurie continued her education at Cornell University, where she earned both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in historical musicology. Since moving to Dallas in 1985, she has been an active member of the Texas cultural community. She has furnished program notes for orchestras, chamber music series, and festivals throughout the United States. Her articles have appeared in Chamber Music Magazine, Stagebill, and Tempo. She contributed to both The New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians (1980), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), and The New Grove II (2001).

Laurie’s book, The Meyerson Symphony Center: Building a Dream was published in 2000 by University of North Texas Press and has been warmly received. More recently, she has contributed articles to various music-related internet sites. She has also furnished compact disc liner notes for eighteen record companies and is an active amateur pianist.

She runs long distance to stay fit, and is a veteran of nine marathons, including three in Boston. She lives with her husband, William Barstow, in Dallas.

"Out of Place: A HyperHistory of the Elusive Acoustics of Concert Hall Venues," published by NewMusicBox.org, January 2002; Read the article