In Sunday’s (7/4) Oklahoman (Oklahoma City), Rick Rogers writes, “Thirty-five years ago, Jeff Luke discovered one of the packages under the family’s Christmas tree was a trumpet. He couldn’t have known it then, but that serendipitous event would change his life in ways he might never have imagined. Luke would grow up surrounded by music. His father, Ray Luke, spent more than 30 years as composer-in-residence and chairman of the instrumental music department at Oklahoma City University. … One of Jeff Luke’s first big breaks came when he was a member of the New England Conservatory’s scholarship brass quintet. On a scouting mission to upgrade its trumpet section, the Atlantic Brass Quintet came to hear the student ensemble in concert. Impressed with what they heard, the musicians invited Luke to join them on an upcoming tour. … After several years of freelancing, Luke sought a full-time position with a major symphony orchestra. That quest led him to audition wherever trumpet positions came open. … Luke reached the final round when he auditioned for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. After another series of auditions in 2003, he became associate principal trumpet of the Salt Lake City-based Utah Symphony.”
Posted July 8, 2010
