Luening, Otto
Otto Luening (1900-1996) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He heard about electronic sound in production as a possible compositional tool from Feruccio Busoni with whom he was studying in Zurich in 1918.
Luening’s career has been distinguished by his versatile activities. He had been active as flutist, opera and orchestra conductor, accompanist, and Professor of Composition at Columbia University. Starting in 1952 he had been an active pioneer in the field of tape and electronic music, often in collaboration with Vladimir Ussachevsky.
Luening’s more than 200 works in other categories, include much chamber music, symphonic works, and opera “Evangeline”, piano music, songs and choral works. His compositions have been played throughout the world by such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago, St. Louis, Mexico City, Montevideo and Haarlem Holland Orchestras. He served as a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome and as a member of the Educational Advisory Board of the Guggenheim Foundation.
