Biography
The music of composer and conductor Luke Carlson (b. 1983) has been described as “yielding fascinating timbres” (Washington Classical Review), “magical”, and “otherworldly” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “personal and strong” (New York Times). Carlson draws equal inspiration from classical traditions and modern aesthetics, crafting vibrant and profound music that engages with the continuing story of tonality. About the string quartet Edges, the Times also noted that “this rhapsodic piece is by turns agitated, searching and plaintive,” and that “the piece has real narrative sweep.”
He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Aspen Music Festival’s Jacob Druckman Prize, a MacDowell Fellowship, a Copland House Fellowship, the grand prize in Symphony Number One’s Composer Competition, the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, the Duo Cortona Prize, the International Trumpet Guild Call for Scores, the Network for New Music Caffeinated Composer Competition, the Ninth Annual Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Student Composition Competition, two first prizes in the MACRO Composers Competition, and two nominations for composition awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
His music is performed internationally by various soloists, ensembles, and organizations, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Daedalus String Quartet, andPlay, the 21st Century Consort, the Khemia Ensemble, the Blue Violet Duo, the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange, the Fuse Trio, Network for New Music, Duo Cortona, Aether Eos, and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Future projects include Piano Sonata, a three-movement work for pianist Clara Christian, Book of Things, a multi-movement work for solo piano and interactive electronics for Christopher Goddard, Measure, a four-movement piano quintet written for pianist Matthew Bengtson and the Daedalus String Quartet, and Birds, a song cycle for voice and piano in collaboration with Suzanne Rhodes, poet laureate of Arkansas.
Recent activity includes a MacDowell Fellowship (2023), a Copland House Fellowship (2021), and the premiere performances of Timepieces (2025) for violin and viola, Render (2024) for clarinet and interactive electronics, Gamer (2023) for multi-percussion and interactive electronics, Histories (2023) for violin and piano, Patterns: Book I (2022) for solo piano, and Blue-Bleak Embers (2022) for horn trio.
He was a two-time participant of the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange (2020 & 2021) for which he composed three works: The Beauty Been (2021) for Pierrot ensemble, Impulse (2021) for solo violin, and Lament for the Makers (2020) for solo cello.
He was a composition fellow at the 2016 Wellesley Composer’s Conference where Creations for sinfonietta was performed by the Conference musicians under the direction of James Baker. Creations was a finalist in the 2018–19 American Prize, receiving an honorable mention. He also attended the 2016 Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy, where he was named winner of the 2016 Duo Cortona Prize. In 2013, he attended the Aspen Music Festival where he was awarded the Druckman Prize commission. He returned to Aspen in 2014 for the premiere of The Burnished Tide, conducted by Robert Spano. He was also a two-time fellow of the Oregon Bach Festival Composer’s Symposium (2006 & 2007). Keys To The Machine for solo piano was named one of the winners of the 2007 Composer’s Symposium Solo Piano Competition and premiered by pianist Lisa Moore.
Carlson holds a BM, magna cum laude, from the University of Oregon, a MM from Rice University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Hi is an Associate Professor of Music at the College of the Ozarks in Branson, MO, where he's directed the orchestral activities and the composition & theory programs since 2016. He also serves as the Vice President of Auditions and Composition Chair of the Missouri Music Teachers Association for which he coordinates the annual state-wide competitions and composer commission.
The music of composer and conductor Luke Carlson (b. 1983) has been described as “yielding fascinating timbres” (Washington Classical Review), “magical”, and “otherworldly” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “personal and strong” (New York Times). Carlson draws equal inspiration from classical traditions and modern aesthetics, crafting vibrant and profound music that engages with the continuing story of tonality. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Aspen Music Festival’s Jacob Druckman Prize, a Copland House Fellowship, Symphony Number One’s Composer Competition, the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, two first prizes in the MACRO Composers Competition and two nominations from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
His music is performed internationally by various soloists, ensembles, and organizations, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Daedalus String Quartet, the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange, the Fuse Trio, Network for New Music, Duo Cortona, Aether Eos, and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Carlson holds a BM, magna cum laude, from the University of Oregon, a MM from Rice University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is an Associate Professor of Music at the College of the Ozarks in Branson, MO, where he directs orchestral activities and the composition & theory programs.