On August 9, Saratoga Performing Arts Center hosted Grammy-award winning singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Laufey, with The Philadelphia Orchestra, attracting thousands of dedicated and new curious fans to the venue.
Though the singer attracts a younger audience, a larger, older crowd was present. The Icelandic-Chinese singer, who mixes traditional orchestral sounds with genres like pop and jazz, delivers music and a performance that is easy to listen and digest for a larger audience of mixed generations.
The concert began with a roar of applause for Finnish-British conductor Ross Jamie Collins, marking his debut with the orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Laufey as they performed the first song from her Grammy-winning Bewitched album, “Dreamer.”
The songs were paired with the stage lighting, flashing with fluorescent lights, as the volume of the songs changed throughout the performance. Coincidentally, the colors of the lights coincided with each song’s respective album cover. The crowd, though younger, was silent throughout the performance, taking in the singer’s voice paired with the orchestra. For many, this was their first time attending an orchestral concert.
After her first song, she looked over at the audience and noted how “crazy” the turnout was for her performance. Her SPAC performance was part of the artist’s “Laufey: A Night at the Symphony 2025” tour, including another New York performance in Chautauqua. Reminiscing on the last performance she had at SPAC with the Saratoga Jazz Festival, she noted that the turnout for this performance was significantly larger than her prior performance, returned with a loud cheer from the crowd. Afterall, since her performance at the Saratoga Jazz Festival, she has appeared for notable publications and, again, had won a Grammy.
Discussing her upcoming album, “A Matter of Time, the 26 year old singer said that it’s “my favorite album I’ve ever made,” following an “honest exploration into my music and sound and genre” and “the most me I’ve ever been.” A glimpse of her most personal self is heard in later songs throughout the night.
Many artists typically do not perform with orchestras, and if they do, it’s hard to tell if artists have part in the orchestral composition. For Laufey, whose repertoire includes so much orchestra and has a musical background, it was easy to hear her part in the composition. Hailing from her Chinese mother Lin Wei, an educator and member of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, her classical music direction is clear, as dynamic and instrument vocalizing is intentional, paired with her voice and whatever instrument she performs with – guitar, cello, or piano.
With a quick intermission and costume change, Laufey discussed the final track from her deluxe album, “Goddess.” She explained that though she’s proud of her past works and rarely thinks to change them, “Goddess” is “the only exception,” stating that she wished to go back and add orchestral elements to the final piece. She explained that the single writes of “the difference between the battle of who I am on stage and who I am at home,” who seem similar yet distant. On stage, she explained, the singer has a presence, “like I have some purpose,” whereas she feels as if she loses her purpose once she’s off stage.
The orchestra’s sound inflated like a balloon in SPAC, somehow filling up the space of an outdoor venue. Despite its rich sound, elements of the orchestra, such as the french horn or trombone, were easily heard above the sounds of strings and woodwinds, as if the artist had intentionally planned for these parts to shine. The audience, who almost sat in shock from the overwhelming sound, roared in applause during and after her performance.
After “Goddess,” the singer discussed orchestral performances, saying that performing with an orchestra allows for her songs to “come alive in such a different way.” For someone who grew up listening to The Philadelphia Orchestra to now playing with them for a large crowd, she said the audience made “childhood Laufey really, really happy.” She continued to encourage people to attend their local orchestras as one thing to take away from the night’s performance.
In another moment, the singer discussed her “most personal” song on her upcoming album, titled “Snow White.” The single, which premiered two days before her performance at SPAC, received a standing ovation and some tears from the singer at her previous performance in Cleveland. Speaking on the new single, the singer told the audience that she “can’t shake the feeling that a woman’s worth is tied to her looks and her body more than it’s tied to her brain and her word and her thoughts,” which had inspired her to write the single. In a crowd of young women, the singer’s performance was moving, heartfelt and touching. Gut wrenching, yes, but perfectly relatable in every way.
As she sang her final song, “From The Start,” she encouraged the audience to sing along. Though a large majority of voices were younger, a quick glance of the audience shows that the older generation also knew the words and happily sang along. Her efforts to incorporate jazz into pop music brings a variety of audiences together for this moment of her performance.
Prior to her encore, she reflected on her orchestral tour, describing it as an experience “like nothing else,” finding joy in playing alongside The Philadelphia Orchestra. She also revealed that her song “Carousel” on her upcoming album was written after her performance at SPAC last year, and joked that the audience can “claim” that song as their own to have a more personal connection with her newest album. Her encore brought her back on stage for an acoustic version of her song, “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self” – another heartfelt message to her younger self to not worry about being a misfit in her upbringing. The contrast and message of the song appears in itself, as she sings to her younger self to not worry about her curly hair, as she wears her hair as is on stage.
Laufey: A Night At The Symphony Setlist: Dreamer, While You Were Sleeping, Silver Lining, Falling Behind, Fragile, Let You Break My Heart Again, Valentine, Tough Luck, Forget-Me-Not, I Wish You Love, Like the Movies, Promise, California and Me, Goddess, It Could Happen To You, Lover Girl, Bored, Bewitched, Lovesick, Snow White, Everytime We Say Goodbye, From The Start
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