A pianist, composer, and educator, Lara Driscoll is known for her sophisticated post-bop jazz. A regular on the Chicago jazz scene since the 2000s, she gained wider attention with her 2020 debut, Woven Dreams. Raised in the Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights, Driscoll grew up in a multicultural household with a French mother and American father. She started taking piano lessons at age seven and took classical and some jazz lessons throughout her school years. She also attended Aebersold jazz camps where trombonist Brian Jacobi introduced her to recordings by Errol Garner, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, and more. After high school, she earned her undergraduate degree in jazz studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she mentored under noted pianist and professor Chip Stevens. She then went on to complete her graduate studies in jazz piano performance at Montreal's McGill University. Driscoll has earned accolades for her playing, including receiving the University of Illinois John Garvey Jazz Scholarship, winning outstanding soloist at the North Texas Jazz Festival. As a performer, she has worked with a bevy of luminaries, including Terell Stafford, Jim Pugh, Fred Wesley, Dick Oates, Chip McNeill, Larry Gray, Jean-Michel Pilc, and others. A dedicated teacher, she holds positions on the music faculty at Loyola University, DePaul University, and Harold Washington College. In 2020, she released her debut album as leader, Woven Dreams, which showcased her trio with bassist Paul Rushka and drummer Dave Laing. Also that year, she released the duo album, Firm Roots, with pianist Chris White. ~ Matt Collar