Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Coker.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am Luke Coker: composer, cellist, and conductor. At two years old, I sold toys to raise money for cello lessons. Now, the full-tuition Kenan Music Scholarship funds my musical studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Musical storytelling took root early; as a young boy, I would improvise on cello as my dad told me stories, capturing characters, moods, and narratives through sound. During the 2020 lockdown, play remained play, but took on a new, vital significance. I vented wordless frustrations into notes and rhythms. As the four walls of my bedroom grew more oppressive and each day blended into the next, composition was the only thing in my life that kept growing. ‘Growth is the goal of all life’: one of the lessons passed down by my granddaddy, the oak tree. Creating music, I breathe and dance; in movement, I live.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have had a smooth road to where I am today. I’ve been fortunate to have family, friends, and mentors who supported my work and gave me room to grow. Given that privilege, my challenge has been learning to take responsibility for my freedom and hold my work to a high standard. Rather than struggling against external obstacles, I have been able to direct my attention towards honing my craft. Through disciplined study and practice, each time I put pen to paper, I work towards greater honesty and clarity.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Nothing is ever still. Everything dances, and everything breathes. I create music which is alive, always moving and growing. This motion often unfolds through extreme contrasts of mood and pace: driving forward with rhythmic intensity, then slowing into moments of tender reflection. Beneath that surface energy, careful control of structure shapes the music so that each note feels inevitable. Even at its most complex, the music remains playful, never taking itself too seriously. This approach is exemplified by my piece Everything Dances, premiered by the Dogwood Trio in May 2025.
My catalog spans works for ensembles from solo to full orchestra, with many receiving public performance. In April 2025, my string quartet Circus Machinery premiered as part of Carolina Performing Arts’ This Is America series, curated by MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award–winning violinist Johnny Gandelsman, who also performed alongside me in the premiere. My orchestral piece Hail and Fire—praised by William Henry Curry, the conductor of the Durham Symphony, for its “drama and intensity” and faultless orchestration”—was premiered in 2023 by the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, alongside performances of my chamber and vocal music at the Brevard Summer Music Institute.
Internationally, I performed solo, chamber, and orchestral music at the Cremona International Music Academy in Italy. There, in the home of Stradivari’s workshop, I was commissioned to write “Magnus Magnet, Look Look,” a solo piano piece, by Raymond Ding, winner of the 2024 Cremona International Competition for Piano. I have also written for cello choir, with a piece premiered at the CelloFORWARD Festival and workshopped by Grammy-winning cellist and composer Andrea Casarrubios. In addition to composing and performing, I recently made my conducting debut leading a chamber orchestra of fellow Kenan Music Scholars in my own work Carolina Romp, which most clearly embodies my voice: boisterous, buoyant, and bucolic.
What are your plans for the future?
As for my plans in the near future, I am currently working on two commissions: a song cycle for soprano, clarinet, cello, and piano; and a piece for chorus. Both will be premiered this spring. In the fall, I will be studying music performance and history abroad in London and Florence. Later down the road, one of my ultimate goals is to conduct the Vienna New Years’ Concert.
What is something surprising about you?
Something surprising: Some people may think of composers as shy, introverted, or detached from the real world. That is not me at all! I love the abstract world of notes and rhythms, but there is nothing like tangible, direct human connection. I especially enjoy working with kids: in addition to teaching private lessons since high school, I’ve volunteered to help teach elementary orchestra classes and worked as a summer camp counselor for the City of Burlington. One of the most meaningful parts of that work has been helping young people understand feelings they don’t yet have words for. I connect this back to my own discovery of composition as an emotional outlet. What truly fulfills me is connection through communication. Whether I’m composing a piece or listening to a kid explain something they’re struggling with, the goal is the same: to understand and be understood. I consider this to be the essential purpose of my life.
When I am not music-ing, you may find me training in wrestling and jiu jitsu, reading and writing poetry and philosophy, or acting in student films.
Pricing:
- Contact for quote (commissions, performances, cello lessons)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lukecokermusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coker.luke/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-coker
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/gp7TIjzVjWo
