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RAYMOND LUEDEKE, one of the leading composers living in Canada, was born in 1944 in New York City. He attended the Eastman School of Music, the Vienna Academy of Music, and Northwestern University, from which he received his doctorate. His principal composition teachers were George Crumb and Alan Stout. His output is extensive and varied. It runs the gamut from entertaining theatre 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 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.

The striking originality and meticulous craftsmanship of his music have been recognized by numerous grants and awards, among them prizes 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 also an experienced librettist. He collaborated with Toronto 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 his multi-media work for two pianos, actor and visuals, Into the Labyrinth. Presently (2006) Ray is working on his third opera, I Confess, I have Lived, based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda.

Raymond Luedeke has been Associate Principal Clarinet of the Toronto Symphony since 1981 and is a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S.