Paul R. Laird

Laird's enthusiasm for his subject, kindled in a student encounter touchingly recalled in the final pages, must have eased the difficult task of compressing a complex man and a hectic career... — BBC Music MagazineMore…

Although Laird has been a performer, teacher, and musicologist for decades, he tells us that the genesis of this book was YoYo Ma's initial flirtation with Baroque cello in 1999. The author... — Early Music AmericaMore…

The impetus for Paul Laird's book came from his fortuitous meeting with composer Stephen Schwartz at an academic conference in 2004 and was further fueled by witnessing the fervent responses... — Society for American MusicMore…

Laird has a fine list of publications, e.g., Leonard Bernstein: A Guide to Research. Here he presents a comprehensive biography of Schwartz and a guide to all his works-for the musical stage,... — ChoiceMore…