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 Copland House Fellowship, the grand prize in Symphony Number One’s Composer Competition, the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, 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, the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange, the Fuse Trio, Network for New Music, Duo Cortona, Aether Eos, and the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra.
Recent activity includes a Copland House Fellowship (2021), the premiere performances of The Beauty Been (2022) for Pierrot ensemble and voice by the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange, Blue-Bleak Embers (2022) for horn trio, Patterns (2022) for solo piano by Matthew Bengtson, Concision (2022) for clarinet, saxophone, and piano by the Fuse Trio, Impulse (2021) for solo violin by Mark Fewer, Lament for the Makers (2020) for solo cello by Felix Fan, Quinary Coils (2020) for vibraphone and electronics, and The Tree (2020) for trumpet/horn and organ.
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, studying composition with Stephen Hartke, John Harbison, John Corigliano, Sydney Hodkinson, George Tsontakis, and Steven Stucky. As the recipient of 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. The Oregon Bach Festival featured master classes and lessons with Osvaldo Golijov, Martin Bresnick, and George Crumb.
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.
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.