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.

  • instrumental trio
  • ACE Publications

    110 title(s)
    Composer Title SCORING/INSTRUMENTATION Year
    Raymond Luedeke ACROSTIC
    sax qrt(satb),pf
    Raymond Luedeke AH, MATSUSHIMA!
    vln, marimba
    Raymond Luedeke AH, MATSUSHIMA! for orchestra and optional narrator 1222 2110 perc(2) strings
    Raymond Luedeke AMAZING GRACE 2222 4231 bells (glock), bagpipes (optional), solo violins (20-50), strings
    Raymond Luedeke An der schonen blauen Donau - Blue Danube (Arr) clarinet in A, string quartet
    Raymond Luedeke Art of Love/ Into Labyrinth
    2 pianos, actor
    Raymond Luedeke Aurora Flute and Harp
    Raymond Luedeke BLUE DANUBE (AN DER SCHONEN BLAUEN DONAU) cl, vln, vcl, pf
    Raymond Luedeke BODY LANGUAGE
    2 perc
    Raymond Luedeke BRASS QUINTET:COMPLEXITY & CONTRADICTION
    br qnt 2-1-1-1
    Raymond Luedeke BRIEF ENCOUNTERS
    VLA, PNO
    Raymond Luedeke BROTHER JACK
    VLN, ENG HN, HARPSICHORD
    Raymond Luedeke Cadenza for Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by Karol Kurpinski
    Raymond Luedeke Cadenza for Rossini's Introduction Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra clarinet
    Raymond Luedeke CARNIVAL OF VENICE solo cl & orch: 2-2-0-2,2-2-2-1,timp,2perc,hp:str
    Raymond Luedeke CATHEDRALS
    br chor:4-4-4-2+2euph
    Raymond Luedeke CEREMONIAL DANCES
    pf, str 4tet: 2-1-1-1
    Raymond Luedeke CHAMBER SYMPHONY NO.1 pic-fl-ob/eh-Ebcl-Bbcl- bcl,2,1-1-0-1,perc,str
    Raymond Luedeke CIRCUS MUSIC
    brass band: 5cor, flghn, 2Ebhn, 3euph, 2tbn, btbn, 2tb, 2perc
    Raymond Luedeke Circus Music for Orchestra 2/pic-2/EH-2/bscl-2; 4-2(inC)-3-1; timp, harp, perc(2), strings
    Raymond Luedeke CLOCKWORKS orch: 2/pic-2-2-2; 4-2-3-1; 4timp, 3perc; hp, str
    Raymond Luedeke CONCERTO FOR DOUBLE BASS AND ORCHESTRA SOLO DOUBLE BASS, ORCHESTRA: PICC.1.2(ENG HORN).1.BASS CL.1.CBSN 4.2.3.1 2 PERC, TIMP, STRINGS
    Raymond Luedeke CONCERTO FOR DOUBLE BASS AND SMALL ORCHESTRA Picc, 1 Fl, 2 ob (2. dbl. EH), 1 Cl, bscl, 1 bsn, cbsn, 2 Hn, 2 Tpt, 1 Percussion; solo double bass, strings
    Raymond Luedeke CONCERTO FOR SAX QUARTET & ORCH sax qrt(satb)& orch:2-2-2-2,4-2-3-1,timp,str
    Raymond Luedeke CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN & ORCH solo vln & orch: 2/pic-2-2-2/cbsn,4-2-3-1,timp,2perc,hp,pf,str

    Additional Works

    Lyon & Healy
    Fairy Tales - flute, harp