Ray Luke :: Music Director 1973-1974

Eventually serving as music director in the 1973-1974 Season when Dr. Harrison retired, Dr. Ray Luke began conducting the out-of-town concerts and most of the youth and educational concerts in the 1969-1970 Season. He was a native of Ft. Worth and joined the faculty of Oklahoma City University after receiving his doctorate at the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Luke was known as a composer, conductor and teacher and many of his compositions were performed by the Symphony starting in 1961 and throughout the upcoming decade. In addition to the many awards for composition he received, Dr. Luke received two fellowships to the MacDowell colony; and he was cited annually in the ASCAP awards starting in 1963 for his contributions to music. Dr. Luke chose to focus his career on education and composition, though he was an accomplished conductor. His single season as Music Director bridged the gap from Dr. Harrison’s retirement to the appointment of Ainslee Cox as Music Director.