Katalin Lukács

Originally from Transylvania, Dr. Katalin Lukács is a prizewinning pianist based in New Orleans, recognized for her performances of the classical repertoire and her specialization in contemporary music. She received her Diploma in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the “Gh. Dima” Music Academy in Cluj, Romania, a Master of Music degree from the University of Alabama and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music Performance from the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Lukács has premiered numerous works by living composers and recorded Stockhausen, Scelsi, and Stuart Saunders Smith on Mode and New World Records. She has performed at major new-music festivals such as Darmstadt (Germany), Ostrava New Music Days (Czech Republic), SEAMUS (Eugene, Oregon), and TWEAK (Limerick, Ireland). Her collaborations include performances with redfishbluefish, Ensemble Zs, SONOR, and Ostravská Banda, as well as appearances on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series and UCSD’s Camera Lucidachamber series.

Since 2011, Dr. Lukács has lived in New Orleans and serves as Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where she teaches introductory music theory and music appreciation. As director of the Music at Midday concert series since 2021, she has expanded its focus from classical to include contemporary and electronic music, jazz, musical theatre, Latin, Klezmer, Arabic, Indian, African, Afro-Cuban, Ukrainian, Brazilian, and Irish traditions.

Alongside her academic work, she maintains an active performing career, collaborating with Tulane faculty, chamber ensembles, and members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2023, she performed Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Tulane University Orchestra under Dr. Maxim Samarov and frequently premieres works by Tulane student composers.

A dedicated advocate for contemporary music in New Orleans, Dr. Lukács is a founding member of Versipel New Music, a collective devoted to performing cutting-edge works. In 2014, she formed the Astralis Duo with soprano Stephanie Aston, focusing on new music and works by women composers. Their Rising Water project (2017–present) unites Gulf South poets and composers to address climate change through song.

Since 2023, Dr. Lukács has served on the board of the Junior Philharmonic Society of New Orleans, supporting young performers and fostering music appreciation among new audiences.