Kathryn A. Lukas

Kathryn A. Lukas ("Kate") passed away recently at her home in Bloomington, Indiana at the age of 79. She was born in 1945 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to parents Michael A. and Aldona Lukas (deceased). Kate was an internationally known musician who recently retired as a Professor of Flute at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Kate grew up in Chicago and studied music at DePaul University. She received a Fulbright Fellowship in 1968 to study in England and completed her musical education by obtaining her Master of Music degree at King's College, University of London, in 1971.
Kate was a former faculty member of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and of the Royal Academy of London. She was the former principal flute of the Santa Fe Opera Company and served as guest principal flute with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
As a proponent of new music, Kate worked with Berio, Xenakis, Elvis Costello, Thomas Ades, Birtwistle, Maxwell Davies and many other prominent composers while a member of the Composers Ensemble and Music Theatre in Wales. She performed numerous broadcasts of solo and chamber music repertoire for the BBC, Radio France, and regional German radio stations. She commissioned works through the Arts Council of Great Britain and recorded for Nimbus and Wergo.
Kate specialized in contemporary flute music as a performer and teacher. As a member of the Ensemble Dreamtiger, she recorded "East-West Encounters" for Cameo Classics. She also played flute on English punk band Wire's song "Strange", which is featured on their 1977 album "Pink Flag." She also played flute on "Heartbeat" from their 1978 album "Chairs Missing."
During her years of teaching at Indiana University, Kate forged close bonds with her flute colleagues and with her students, many of whom she followed in their careers after they graduated. Kate was a loving family member who kept in close touch with her relatives in Chicago and Cleveland while living in Bloomington. She was a gracious host to visits by relatives and friends, accompanying them when touring Nashville, Indiana and other sights in Brown County and performing impromptu flute solos for them. She inherited her love of tennis from her father and never missed watching all the major tennis tournaments, including the recent French Open.
Kate is survived by her brothers James and Michael (Marjorie), along with nieces Jennifer, Kristen, and Mary and nephew Michael Jon, and nine grandnieces and grandnephews. A memorial service in celebration of Kate's life will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at the Allen Funeral Home at 4155 S. Old State Road 37 in Bloomington, Indiana. Interment will occur at a later date at St. Casimir's Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that you make a donation to the Indiana University Music Department or to Ranch Cat Rescue at Post Office Box 3423, Bloomington, Indiana 47402.