Laura Hesse grew up in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She sang in the church choir and started taking piano lessons in 2nd grade. She continued piano in high school and played xylophone and tuba in the marching band. At James Madison University, she continued to play tuba in the Marching Royal Dukes, began taking organ lessons, and was assigned to share music in choir with a tenor named Peter Hesse. After finishing her Master’s Degree in Sacred Music from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Laura and Peter got married in 1998. She has been on staff at CUMC since Music Camp 1999. Laura and Peter live in Herndon with their three children, three birds, and a dog. In addition to music, Laura loves knitting, gardening, and spider solitaire.