Thomas Ludwig Explained

Thomas Ludwig
Birth Date:27 August 1952
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, United States
Occupation:Composer, conductor
Years Active:1970–present
Website:LudwigSymphony.org

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]

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". 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

Chamber music

Transcriptions

Awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Highly Exciting Works in the Copland--Schuman Tradition. Albany Records. 31 August 2016.
  2. News: Goldthwaite. Thomas. Zealous concert has small audience. 31 August 2016. The Indianapolis Star. September 21, 1985.
  3. News: Barry. Ann. Arts and Leisure Guide. 31 August 2016. The New York Times. November 30, 1975.
  4. Web site: Contest Winners. Indiana State University. 31 August 2016.
  5. News: Slominski. Jill. DPA's Scheduled Gems. 31 August 2016. Eagle. American University. September 10, 1982.
  6. Web site: Calmes. Holley. Ludwig Symphony Orchestra to present multi-faceted concert. Gwinnett Daily Post. 10 November 2010 . 31 August 2016.
  7. Web site: Ludwig Symphony Orchestra. Georgia. 31 August 2016.
  8. Web site: The Klezmer Concerto II. Dance of the Seven Circles. Ofer Ben-Amots. 31 August 2016.
  9. News: Kisselgoff. Anna. Ballet Theater: Other Dances in Old Slavonic. 31 August 2016. The New York Times. May 12, 1978.
  10. Web site: American Symphonies. MusicWeb International. 31 August 2016.
  11. News: Hughes. Allen. 4 Concerts Devoted to Ives Music Include 72 Songs. 31 August 2016. The New York Times. February 17, 1975.
  12. News: Anderson. Jack. American Ballet Theater Revives Tetley's Gemini. 31 August 2016. The New York Times. June 3, 1978.
  13. News: Anderson. Jack. Ballet: Two Casts For Swan Lake. 31 August 2016. The New York Times. April 24, 1978.
  14. Web site: Violin Concerto/Symphony in Two Movements. DRAM. 31 August 2016.
  15. News: McLellan. Joseph. Ludwig's Eloquent Victory. 31 August 2016. The Washington Post. May 10, 1982.
  16. News: McLellan. Joseph. Finalists Named in Kennedy Center-Friedheim Competition For New American Music. 31 August 2016. The Washington Post. August 23, 1982.
  17. Web site: "An International Festival Concert" at Gwinnett Center. Gwinnett Magazine. 31 August 2016.
  18. News: Ludwig: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 1.. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916084348/https://business.highbeam.com/3872/article-1G1-18746583/ludwig-violin-concerto-symphony-no-1. dead. September 16, 2016. 31 August 2016. American Record Guide. September 1, 1996.
  19. News: Smith. Tim. Intriguing Premiere Closes Festival Miami. 31 August 2016. Sun-Sentinel. October 25, 1994.

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