Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009) was an
American composer, pianist, and conductor.
Born as Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in
1922, Foss was soon recognized as a child prodigy. He began piano and theory
lessons with Julius Goldstein [Herford] in Berlin at the age of six. His father
was the philosopher and scholar Martin Fuchs. He moved with his family to
Paris in 1933, where he studied piano with Lazare Lévy, composition
with Noël Gallon, orchestration with Felix Wolfes, and
flute with Louis Moyse. In 1937 he moved with his parents and brother to
the United States, where his father (on advice from the Quakers who had taken
the family in upon arrival in Philadelphia) changed the family name to Foss. He
studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia,
with Isabelle Vengerova (piano), Rosario
Scalero (composition) and Fritz Reiner(conducting).
At Curtis, Foss began a lifelong friendship with
classmate Leonard Bernstein, who later described Foss as an
"authentic genius." In 1961 Bernstein would conduct the premiere of
Foss's Time Cycle, while Foss would conduct the premiere of Bernstein's
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
Foss also studied with Sergei Koussevitzky during
the summers from 1939 to 1943 at the Berkshire Music Center (now
known as the Tanglewood Music Center) and, as a special student, composition
with Paul Hindemith at Yale University from 1939 to
1940. He became an American citizen in 1942.
Foss was appointed professor of music at UCLA in
1953, replacing Arnold Schoenberg. While there he founded
the Improvisation Chamber Ensemble, which made its Boston debut in 1962
for thePeabody Mason Concert series. He founded the Center for
Creative and Performing Arts in 1963 while at the State University of
New York at Buffalo.
From 1963 to 1970 he was Music Director of the Buffalo
Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1971-1988 he was Music Director of
the Brooklyn Philharmonic (formerly Brooklyn Philharmonia). From 1981
to 1986, he was conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He was
a Professor of Music, Theory, and Composition at Boston
University beginning in 1991. His notable students include Faye-Ellen
Silverman, Claire Polin and Rocco Di Pietro.
He is grouped in the "Boston school" along
with Arthur Berger, Irving Fine, Alexei Haieff, Harold
Shapero, and Claudio Spies.
He was a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an
international professional music fraternity.
Lukas Foss, who was afflicted with Parkinson's disease in
his final years, died at his home in Manhattan on February 1, 2009,
aged 86, of a heart attack.
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