Lukas Foss

Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009), born Lukas Fuchs, was a German-born American composer, conductor, pianist, and professor. Lukas Foss was born in Berlin, Germany in 1922. He studied with Julius Goldstein-Herford. After the rise of Nazism in Germany, he and his family moved 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... more

Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009), born Lukas Fuchs, was a German-born American composer, conductor, pianist, and professor. Lukas Foss was born in Berlin, Germany in 1922. He studied with Julius Goldstein-Herford. After the rise of Nazism in Germany, he and his family moved 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 to the United States, where he changed his name to Lukas Foss. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, with Isabelle Vengerova (piano), Rosario Scalero (composition) and Fritz Reiner (conducting). He 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... less