Laurie Spiegel studied at Oxford University and composition with J.W. Duarte, Vincent Persichetti, Hall Overton, Jacob Druckman, and Emmanuel Ghent. She plays guitar and lute and worked at Bell Labs from 1973 - 1974 and in computer graphics. She created the computer music program Music Mouse, which eliminates reliance on keyboards and sampled or acoustic sounds. Spiegel has made numerous soundtracks, video projects with Nam June Paik and others, and her realization of Kepler's Music of the Spheres was sent into space by N.A.S.A. She has received many grants and awards and served as director of computer music at the Aspen Music Festival, Bucks Count Community College, Cooper Union, and N.Y.U. She also works as a freelance computer consultant.