Luke Haaksma is a composer, filmmaker, and hammered dulcimerist currently based in New Haven, CT and originally from Asheville, NC. His work often focuses on non-human states of consciousness, finding influences in themes of anthropomorphization, murder ballads, old-time music, and folk-horror. Luke has received awards and recognition from the Wortham Center for performing arts, Ione M. Allen foundation, the Young Concert Artists, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. While an undergraduate at Bard College and Conservatory, Luke studied composition with Joan Tower, George Tsontakis, and Lera Auerbach, piano with Blair McMillen, and dulcimer with David Degge. For his work with film, Luke has won the Sidney Peterson prize in experimental film, “Best Original Score” by the Dreamachine international film festival, and Official Selections from other Montreal and Los Angeles based festivals. In 2021, Luke was honored as the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship finalist at the Walnut Valley music festival in Winfield, Kansas. After a fellowship at the Fromm foundation Composers Conference in 2022, Luke began pursuing a Master of Music in composition at the Yale School of Music, and is currently studying with Katie Balch. Recent projects include breathing room, a stop-motion short with live music/sound commissioned and premiered by No Exit New Music and Endling Song, a piece for full orchestra premiered by the Yale Philharmonia.
