Raymond Luedeke

Biography

Born in New York City, composer Ray Luedeke attended the Eastman School of Music, the Vienna Academy of Music, Northwestern University, and Dartmouth College, where he studied with George Crumb. His output is extensive and varied. It runs the gamut from entertaining theater pieces for children, through a long list of sophisticated solo and chamber music to colorful, carefully crafted pieces for orchestra.

Recordings of his music include Shadow Music with the Louisville Orchestra, The Transparency of Time with pianist Andre LaPlante and the Winnipeg Symphony, The Moon in the Labyrinth and The Lyre of Orpheus with harpist Judy Loman and the Orford String Quartet, Brass Quintet with the New Mexico Brass Quintet, Circus Music with the Hannaford Street Silver Band, and Ah, Matsushima! with violin/marimba duo Jacques and Michael Israelievitch.  Quartetto Gelato has recorded Ray’s brilliant arrangement of Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and has performed it worldwide.

 The striking originality and meticulous craftsmanship of his music have been recognized by numerous grants and awards, among them prizes from the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, from the Percussive Arts Society, from the International Horn Society, and from Northwestern University. His contest winning orchestral Fanfare, opened Toronto’s Thomson Hall and his overture The North Wind’s Gift was performed throughout Europe in the 1991 tour of the Toronto Symphony. Six Canadian orchestras jointly commissioned Tales of the Netsilik for narrator and orchestra.

 Ray Luedeke is an experienced librettist. He collaborated with playwright Sean Dixon for his first opera, Wild Flowers, produced at The Guelph Spring Festival. Subsequently, he worked with acclaimed director/dramaturge Tom Diamond to write the libretto for his second opera, The Magical Singing Drum, and the script for The Art of Love/Into the Labyrinth for two pianos, visuals and actor. The distinguished Canadian playwright Guillermo Verdecchia served as dramaturge for Ray’s script for his third opera, Viva Pablo Neruda (I Confess, I Have Lived).

 In the summer of 2007, Ray started a music theater company, Voice Afire Pocket Opera and Cabaret, and produced three shows, each reflecting a particular passion of the composer/arranger. Viva Pablo Neruda (I Confess, I Have Lived) is based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Butterfly’s Trouble is an re-invention of Puccini’s great masterpiece. Close Embrace relives the Golden Age of Argentine Tango and includes 8 performers: a Master of Ceremonies, 2 dancers, 4 musicians, and a singer.

 From 1981-2010 Ray served as Associate Principal Clarinet of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2010 Ray moved back to New York City.

ACE Publications

110 title(s)
Composer Title SCORING/INSTRUMENTATION Year
Raymond Luedeke GRIEF Solo Cello
Raymond Luedeke HARD RIGHT: A Satyrical Suite 1 Flute (dbl. alto sax.)/ Bb Clarinet/ Bb Bass Clarinet 1 Horn/ 1 Tpt in C/ 1 Tbn. 2 percussion strings (2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 double bass)
Raymond Luedeke IF YOU FORGET ME... cello and piano cello, piano
Raymond Luedeke IF YOU FORGET ME - viola and piano viola and piano
Raymond Luedeke In Just-Spring
treble choir and pno
Raymond Luedeke In Kharms Way / Theater of the Absurd string quartet, 2 actors
2vln, vla, vcl
Raymond Luedeke IN THE EYE OF THE CAT flute or violin and guitar
Raymond Luedeke In This World - duo version Violin or Flute or Clarinet, with Marimba
Raymond Luedeke IN THIS WORLD (ON JAPANESE MOTIVES) fl/pic, mrmba, string orch
Raymond Luedeke Joy
2 tpt, hrn, tbn, tba
Raymond Luedeke Kafka Shorts string quartet and 2 actors
Raymond Luedeke LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN - not ACA
ob/eh, vln/voice (or mandolin), accordion, vc/gtr
Raymond Luedeke LITTLE ROSE cham orch:1-alfl-2/ehn-1-bcl-2,tpt, timp,pf,str
Raymond Luedeke LITTLE SUITE FOR THREE HORNS
3hn
Raymond Luedeke LIVESAY SONGS
sop,pf
Raymond Luedeke LOVE IS THE EVERY ONLY GOD SATB
Raymond Luedeke LYRE OF ORPHEUS Harp and String Quartet
Raymond Luedeke Lyre of Orpheus - 2 harp version 2 harps
Raymond Luedeke MACCHU PICCHU
5 players: pic/fl/alfl, cl(A,Bb,Eb), vln, vla, pf
Raymond Luedeke MAGICAL SINGING DRUM Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone, Dancer/Drummer, Oboe (Doubling English Horn), Synthesizer, and 3 Percusison
Raymond Luedeke Margarita's Wild Ride
vn 1, vn 2, vla, vcl, bass
Raymond Luedeke MOON IN LABYRINTH
hp,str qnt (or str orch)
Raymond Luedeke My Life with Pablo Neruda violin, clarinet, cello, keyboard, Soprano, Tenor, plus 2 actors
Raymond Luedeke MY SECRET LIFE
vla
Raymond Luedeke NEW HAMPSHIRE AND HIS MAJESTY THE TUBA
TUBA, TENOR, PIANO

Additional Works

Lyon & Healy
Fairy Tales - flute, harp