Dr. Luke Spence enjoys a multi-faceted career as a performer, educator, and recording artist. He is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the SUNY Potsdam Crane School of Music, second trumpet of the Washington Chamber Orchestra, and a member of the chamber groups Anima Brass and the Potsdam Brass Quintet. He is proud to be a performing artist for both Denis Wick Products and S.E. Shires Co. Praised by Fanfare Magazine for his “great artistry”, labeled “exquisite” by the International Trumpet Guild Journal, and hailed as “a true expert in phrasing” by the NACWPI Journal, Spence’s debut solo album 20th Century Art Songs offers a fresh approach to the genre of vocal transcriptions and explores repertoire seldom explored by instrumentalists. Recently honored as a semi-finalist, the album is in contention for The 2023 American Prize.
As a freelance orchestral musician, Spence has performed with numerous ensembles including the National Philharmonic, South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony, Lancaster Symphony, Reading Symphony, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Orchestra of Northern New York, and The New Orchestra of Washington. Over the years, he has performed at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, toured throughout the U.S., Europe, and China, and was a featured soloist with the Washington Sinfonietta.
Prior to his appointment at SUNY Potsdam, Dr. Spence served as Lecturer of Trumpet at Frostburg State University, Instructor of Trumpet at Frederick Community College, and Director of the Young Artists of America Trumpet Academy. In 2022, he served as trumpet judge chair of the inaugural Marie Speziale Mock Orchestra Competition and judge for the Susan Slaughter Solo Competition at the International Women’s Brass Conference in Denton, TX. Dr. Spence has given masterclasses and clinics at Colorado State University, the University of Akron, Towson University, the University of Maryland, and the Music for All Mid-Atlantic Regional Concert Band Festival. In 2020, he created 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 today.
A firm believer that music has the power to be an agent of social change, Spence is a founding Board of Directors member of the International Pride Orchestra, a non-profit charity orchestra that brings together LGBTQIA+ musicians from around the world to present concerts, celebrate community, and raise funds for LGBTQIA+ causes.
Spence earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts and Master of Music at the University of Maryland, where he studied with Distinguished Professor Chris Gekker. He also holds a Bachelor of Music with a minor in musicology from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Associate Professor Roy Poper and was the recipient of the 2014 James Stamp Award.
