Laury Christie’s musical career bridges the US and European opera theaters and concert halls. To her credit she has hundreds of performances of 35 major opera roles in the soprano repertoire and in concert with such orchestras as the Boston, Chicago, Charleston, South Carolina Philharmonic and Milwaukee Symphonies. She has also performed with the Spoleto Festival USA, Alice Tully Hall, NYC and on Public Radio. During her 24 years at USC, Christie has been an active performing artist and master class teacher regionally, nationally and internationally. Her students have been successful in many major competitions as well as having gone on to professional careers in education and on stage.

She was awarded the highly coveted USC Innovative Teaching and Research Grant to train and be certified in the Alexander Technique. She developed the first courses in the Alexander Technique to be integrated into a Southern University Music Curriculum. In addition, she created the Community Voice Lesson Program, enabling people in the community to study voice with a graduate assistant vocal performance major. A commemorative CD featuring excerpts of the many recitals and concerts during the past 24 years is available through the School of Music Development Office. All proceeds from the CD fund a vocal scholarship awarded each to a young women majoring in vocal performance and or music education.

Professor Laury Christie, Distinguished Professor Emerita, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan and Master of Music from the University of Missouri. She was the recipient of the Albert Roussel Foundation Fellowship for Advanced Studies (Artiste Diplom) at the L'Ecole Normal de Musique, Paris, France. Other awards include a Tanglewood Fellowship at the Berkshire Music Festival with the Boston Symphony and the Blossom Music Festival Fellowship with the Cleveland Orchestra.

Professor Christie's musical career bridges the United States and European opera theaters and concert halls. Prior to her appointment at USC, she performed over 30 major operatic roles in the soprano repertoire from 1971 to 1983. She was under contract in the Theaters of Detmold, Karlsruhe, Muenster, Osnabrueck, Stuttgart, Germany; Innsbruck, Austria; and Merano and Bozen, Italy. Solo engagements include the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Milwaukee Skylight Opera, and the North German Raruo Orchestra in Hamburg, Germany.

In August 1980, Ms. Christie came to USC as an Associate Professor of Voice. During her 24-year tenure at the School of Music, she was an active performing artist and masterclass teacher, regionally, nationally, and internationally. She had the pleasure of collaborating with her colleagues at USC in recitals, chamber music, orchestral performances and with the Columbia Lyric Opera. Her US appearances included many performances in Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC; Alice Tully Hall, NYC; Lexington Y Concert Series, NYC; the Columbia Philharmonic Orchestra; the Charleston Symphony; the Birmingham, Alabama Symphony; public radio and television.

Professor Christie was the recipient of the University of South Carolina Venture Fund Grant for Innovative Teaching and Research, which enabled her to become the first fully trained and certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and to develop courses in SC. The School of Music became the first University in the Southeast to offer the Alexander Technique as a vital part of the degree program and contribution to somatic education. Ms. Christie presented hundreds of masterclasses in voice and in the Alexander Technique nationally and internationally. For many seasons she was a faculty member of the USC International Summer Opera Program, "Studio Liricio", directed by Talmage Fauntleroy.

Professor Christie served as President of the Gamma Theta Chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society from 1988 to 1994. She was elected Regent to the National Board of PKL from 1996-2000. She created the Community Voice Lesson Program, giving the community opportunities to study voice with graduate vocal students.

Ms. Christie's students have been successful in many major competitions and have gone on to professional careers in music education and on the stage in the US and Europe. Ms. Christie has enjoyed "teaching and guiding singers to find their place and make a contribution to the musical life on our planet."

Professor Christie retired from USC in 2004.