About Laura

Laura Nickle has been conducting regular singalongs for the over-50 crowd in the Washington DC area for nearly two decades. Her twin abilities of playing almost anything by ear and sight-reading almost any piece have resulted in a repertoire of many thousands of songs, most learned because they were someone’s special request.

But being able to sing anything you want is only part of the reason people come to sing with Laura. The way she captures the essence of each piece, combined with her sense of humor and desire to connect with people, keeps her audiences coming back week after week.

Laura has been playing since she was 4; her mother told her that when the family watched President Kennedy’s funeral on television, she went to the piano and played the funeral march exactly as she heard it. She started lessons the next week, and beginning at age 7, Laura was accompanying youth choirs, hymn sings and holiday singalongs as she studied with private teachers. She studied classical organ for three years and remains a skilled organist to this day.

Upon moving to Washington DC in the early 1980s, Laura began playing in an exclusive downtown restaurant.  Playing there led to many other chances to perform, including concerts in the park, weddings, corporate events and other gatherings.  In 2006, she started a weekly singalong at a large retirement community. There, she started a quarterly resident talent show, where she accompanies any piece the performers want to perform and leads a large community singalong. Since 2018, she has also served as church pianist for their community chapel. She currently plays at a variety of retirement and assisted living communities in Northern Virginia.