Welcome Dr. Carlson

We are proud to announce and welcome our new Assistant Professor of Music, Dr. Luke Carlson. He will be directing the College of the Ozarks Orchestra in addition to teaching music theory and composition. Not only has Dr. Carlson traveled the globe as a performer, but his own pieces have been performed globally as well.

Dr. Carlson was born in Washington State and raised in Oregon. He received his Bachelor of Music in 2007 from the University of Oregon, his Master of Music in 2007 from Texas’ Rice University, and his PhD in 2014 from the University of Pennsylvania. He has lived in many places, the most recent of which was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was there he held the position of Interim Choir Director and Music Coordinator from 2014 to 2015.   

In the summer of 2015, he debuted his piece, “Edges,” at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. The New York Times wrote an article concerning this music festival and regarded Dr. Carlson’s musical language as “personal and strong.” They also refer to his piece as being “rhapsodic” and having a “real narrative sweep.” This past summer, he traveled to Massachusetts for the Wellesley Composers Conference. Dr. Carlson also visited Cortona, Italy, working with composers and performers alike.

Several impressive awards and academic honors have been bestowed on Dr. Carlson. To name a few, he has received the 2013 Jacob Druckman Prize, the 2014 and 2016 MACRO Composers Competition award, the 2014 Network for New Music Caffeinated Composer Competition award, and the 2013 Hopkinson Fellowship award.

Dr. Carlson will be an excellent addition to the C of O Music Faculty. His impressive track record as a young composer and conductor is astounding. He also boasts a wide music range from vocal to electronic, orchestral to chamber, and contemporary to sacred. More about Dr. Carlson can be found at his website lukecarlsonmusic.com. The experiences and people that have shaped him and his career will further the goal of the music department at College of the Ozarks – to bring honor and glory to God through the beauty of music and the fine arts.