Laura Botkin

Laura Beth Botkin, resident of Houston, Texas, was tragically killed on August 12, 2012 in a serious car accident in Lubbock, Texas while returning from a trip to the Grand Canyon. She was 27.
Born in Ohio to Katherine Plavsic and James E. Botkin on January 1, 1985, Laura showed a tremendous affinity towards the arts and music from an early age. She began her formal studies in piano at the age of 4 and continued this passion through her collegiate years. Eventually she was drawn toward a love of singing, which led to her decision to study and pursue a career in voice.
During her collegiate years she was active as both a soloist and choral singer. In 2005, she was a finalist in the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition and was a 1st place winner at Georgia N.A.T.S. in 2004 and 2005. After completing the Bachelor of Music in Performance degree in 2006 at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, she then completed her Masters in Vocal Performance in 2008 at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston, TX where she studied voice under Professor Stephen King and later with Cathy Cowen.
Upon graduation from Rice, Laura taught piano at Lamar High School in Houston, where she discovered a love for working with and helping to develop young and talented musicians. This led to a position as a voice teacher at HITS (Houston International Theater School) where she had taught for the past two years until her untimely death. Her effervescence and quirky style were much loved by her colleagues and most especially by her students for whom she cared so deeply.
Laura's sparkly and irrepressible personality will also be greatly missed by the congregation and choirs of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, where she was a staff singer for three years.
As a professional singer, she performed in the Houston Grand Opera's world premiere performance of Your Name Means the Sea and more recently made her musical theater debut in Country Playhouse's production of Avenue Q to critical acclaim.
Laura was a wonderfully vibrant and free spirit who was driven to succeed no matter the obstacles. She lived life to its fullest in a gracious and genuine way. Her joy in making music was as infectious as her laughter and she inspired all those around her. Laura was beautiful both inside and out. All who knew her and worked with her will profoundly miss her energetic personality and her smile that lit every room.
Survivors include her father, Jim Botkin (Fran); mother, Katherine Plavsic (Tim); brothers, James Botkin and Zack Plavsic; and daughter Elizabeth Muir Amacker, adopted at birth by Robert and Pam Amacker.
A memorial service will be held in at Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002 on Saturday, 25th August at 2pm with a reception immediately following in Latham Auditorium.
Donations may be made to the donor's favorite charity or to Shepherd School of Music, MS532, Laura Botkin Memorial Scholarship Fund, Rice University, PO Box 1892, Houston TX 77251-1892 or contact Gary Smith at 713-348-4047.