Lori Dobbins received her BA from San Jose State University, MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, and her Ph.D. in composition from the University of California, Berkeley. She currently teaches at the University of New Hampshire.

Dobbins has received commissions from the Koussevitzky Foundation, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Fromm Foundation, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, and Earplay. Fellowships and awards include the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters; the Lili Boulanger award from the National Women Composers Resource Center; ASCAP Special Award for Composition; First and Second prizes in the International League of Women Composers Composition Contest; residencies at the MacDowell Colony and the Atlantic Center for the Arts; Composers Conference at Wellesley College Fellowships; grants from Meet the Composer.

Her works have been performed by many distinguished performing ensembles including the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Collage, New Music Consort, New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Earplay, Composers Forum, North/South Consonance, Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players, Women's Philharmonic, New England Conservatory Contemporary Ensemble, Brandeis Contemporary Chamber Players, Minnesota Composers Forum, and at festivals including the 14th Annual New Music & Art Festival at Bowling Green State University, Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Cal Arts New Music Festival, Seattle Spring Festival, and the Society of Composers Inc. National Conference at Queens College in New York City. Her music has been conducted by Gunther Schuller, John Harbison and Jeffrey Means, and premiered by acclaimed singers Judith Bettina, Susan Narucki, Judi Silvano, and David Ripley.

Fire and Ice, for chamber orchestra, has been released by Vienna Modern Masters (VMM 3018) and Sketches for Silvano is available on Capstone Records. Several of her works are published by AMP/Schirmer.