Luke Spence

Dr. Luke Spence enjoys a freelance career teaching and performing in the Baltimore / Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Luke is second trumpet of the Washington Chamber Orchestra and performs regularly with other groups including the Fairfax Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Reading Symphony, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Washington Opera Society, and The New Orchestra of Washington. Most recently, Dr. Spence joined the dynamic chamber group Anima Brass. Outside of mainstream classical music, Spence has performed with Baltimore and Washington D.C. theatre companies, toured with the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra, played early music with the Washington Cornett and Sackbutt Ensemble and The Choral Arts Society of Washington, and performed new works by living composers with groups such as Stage Free and the District New Music Coalition. In recent years he has performed at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, toured across the US, Europe, and China, and was a featured soloist with the Washington Sinfonietta.

As an educator, Dr. Spence maintains a large private studio and regularly gives clinics and masterclasses at universities and other public institutions. In 2020 he initiated and served as director for a new Brass Ensemble and Repertoire course at the University of Maryland School of Music, which continues to thrive and grow. His dissertation, Preserving the Narrative of 20th Century Art Song: A Guide for Instrumental Transcriptions of Vocal Music informs and elevates performance practice standards for brass players who wish to perform vocal music and continues to be recognized in the field. These works can be heard here. He earned his DMA and MM at the University of Maryland where he studied with Chris Gekker and holds a BM with a minor in musicology from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied with Roy Poper and was the recipient of the 2014 James Stamp Award. For more information on Dr. Spence please visit www.lukespencetrumpet.com