Thomas Ludwig

Thomas Ludwig is an American composer of classical music and a symphony conductor. His works have been performed and recorded with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra,[1] Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra,[2] and the New York City Symphony,[3] and have won prizes at the Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards in Washington, D.C. and the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival.[4]

Thomas Ludwig
Born (1952-08-27) August 27, 1952
Detroit, Michigan, United States
OccupationComposer, conductor
Years active1970–present
WebsiteLudwigSymphony.org

Former Adjunct Professor of Music at American University[5] in Washington, D.C., Thomas Ludwig is currently the founder and music director of the Ludwig Symphony Orchestra[6] and the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra[7] in Atlanta. He has conducted orchestras internationally including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Odessa Symphony Orchestra,[8] the Orchestra Da Camera Fiorentina in Italy, OFUNAM in Mexico City, and in the United States at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, San Francisco Opera House, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.[9]

Life and career

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ludwig began early studies on violin there with Mischa Mischakoff and then attended the Juilliard School in New York with a full scholarship-graduating in violin studies with Ivan Galamian and viola studies with Paul Doktor.[1][10] At the age of 22, he became music director of the New York City Symphony performing symphonic concerts at Lincoln Center.[11] In 1978 and 1979 he served as resident conductor for Mikhail Baryshnikov and American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House and on tour across the United States.[12][13]

In 1980, Thomas Ludwig conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios and recorded his Symphony in Two Movements.[14] The New York Times described his symphony as "vividly orchestrated, possesses tremendous emotional intensity, and yet is succinct and skillful in its control of form".[14] In 1982 Ludwig's symphony Age of Victory was premiered at the Inter-American Music Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and was referred to as "Ludwig's Eloquent 'Victory'" by The Washington Post.[15] The same symphony was performed again later that year as part of the Kennedy Center Friedheim Competition, the performance was broadcast over NPR and Voice of America.[16]

Ludwig's music ranges from chamber music to large orchestral works including symphony, chorus, and soloists. His second symphony premiered in Mexico City with the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM led by Maestro Jorge Velazco. Ludwig's String Symphony was premiered in Florence, Italy and was broadcast on Rome TV and his Four Lyric Songs for mezzo-soprano was premiered by the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria in Mexico City and broadcast live in Central and South America on Grupo Radio Centro.[17] Ludwig's Violin Concerto premiered in Miami by the University of Miami with violinist Mark Peskanov and conductor Thomas Sleeper.[18] The Miami Sun-Sentinel called it "strikingly passionate, lush, and lyrical".[19]

Selected works

Symphonic
  • Symphony No. 1 (1982)
  • Symphony No. 2 (1989)
  • Symphony No. 3 (2009)
  • Symphony No. 4 for chorus and soloists (2015)
  • Symphony No. 5 (2016)
  • Overture Fantasie for orchestra (1986)
  • Violin Concerto for violin and orchestra (1994)
  • Four Songs for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (1998)
  • Piano Concerto for piano and orchestra (2007)
  • Adagietto for orchestra (2010)
  • An Angel Awaits for soprano and orchestra (2015)
  • The Loneliness is Lifted for tenor solo, orchestra, and chorus (2015)
  • I'm a Ballet Girl for three dancers, actress, and orchestra (2015)

Chamber music
  • Woodwind Quintet Two Divertissements (1985)
  • String Quartet No. 1 (1985)
  • Sinfonia No. 1 for chamber orchestra (1987)
  • Pecume for bass vocalist and various instruments (1986)
  • Song for Nicholas for violin and piano (1990)
  • Piano Quartet (1996)
  • String Symphony Four Divertissements (2000)
  • Concerto for Piano and Strings (2005)

Transcriptions
  • Ashkelone Suite for orchestra (1999)
  • Offenbach introduction and bolero for cello and orchestra (2000)
  • Sarasate Zapateado for violin and orchestra (2002)
  • Fred and Ginger ballet suite for orchestra (2004)
  • Beethoven Waldstein for strings and chorus (2015)

Awards
  • Third place winner of the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award for instrumental music composition, 1982
  • Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival Composers Competition Winner, 1986[3]

References
  1. "Highly Exciting Works in the Copland--Schuman Tradition". Albany Records. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  2. Goldthwaite, Thomas (September 21, 1985). "Zealous concert has small audience". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. Barry, Ann (November 30, 1975). "Arts and Leisure Guide". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  4. "Contest Winners". Indiana State University. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  5. Slominski, Jill (September 10, 1982). "DPA's Scheduled Gems". Eagle. American University. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  6. Calmes, Holley. "Ludwig Symphony Orchestra to present multi-faceted concert". Gwinnett Daily Post. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  7. "Ludwig Symphony Orchestra". Georgia. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  8. "The Klezmer Concerto II. Dance of the Seven Circles". Ofer Ben-Amots. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  9. Kisselgoff, Anna (May 12, 1978). "Ballet Theater: Other Dances in Old Slavonic". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  10. "American Symphonies". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  11. Hughes, Allen (February 17, 1975). "4 Concerts Devoted to Ives Music Include 72 Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  12. Anderson, Jack (June 3, 1978). "American Ballet Theater Revives Tetley's Gemini". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  13. Anderson, Jack (April 24, 1978). "Ballet: Two Casts For Swan Lake". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  14. "Violin Concerto/Symphony in Two Movements". DRAM. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  15. McLellan, Joseph (May 10, 1982). "Ludwig's Eloquent Victory". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  16. McLellan, Joseph (August 23, 1982). "Finalists Named in Kennedy Center-Friedheim Competition For New American Music". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  17. ""An International Festival Concert" at Gwinnett Center". Gwinnett Magazine. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  18. "Ludwig: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 1". American Record Guide. September 1, 1996. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  19. Smith, Tim (October 25, 1994). "Intriguing Premiere Closes Festival Miami". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
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