Guest Artist Series: "Wouldn't That Be Queer" with Luke Spence, trumpet

The International Pride Orchestra is proud to present an unapologetic musical celebration of the LGBTQIA+ experience: “Wouldn’t That Be Queer?”

Driven by a desire for representation, “Wouldn’t That Be Queer?” sees traditional narratives transformed into ones that express themes of LGBTQIA+ love, loss and coming of age. The program predominantly features art song transcriptions accompanied by supertitle projections in order for audiences to experience text and music in real time. 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, S.E. Shires and Denis Wick artist Luke Spence brings a uniquely queer perspective to the works of Amy Beach, Libby Larsen, ​Lori Laitman, Dorothy Gates and Edvard Grieg.

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 South Florida Symphony and a member of the chamber groups Anima Brass and the Potsdam Brass Quintet. He is proud to be a performing artist for both S.E. Shires Co. and Denis Wick Products. Spence received his D.M.A. and M.M. from the University of Maryland.