Michael Laucke

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Michael Laucke (January 29, 1947 – December 2, 2021) was a Canadian guitarist and composer who blended classical, flamenco and new flamenco styles. He is remembered for expanding the guitar repertoire in Canada and for his energetic, expressive performances.

Early life
Laucke was born in Montreal, Quebec, to a Jewish family with Russian and Polish roots. After his parents separated, he was raised by his grandmother. As a child, he showed talent in many areas—notably building boats from toothpicks and winning a Montreal yo-yo contest. He didn’t initially have approval to play guitar, but he loved music and eventually started focusing on it. By age 13 he earned money as a snooker demonstrator, and his winnings funded 110 trips to New York City to study classical guitar with Rolando Valdés-Blain.

Career beginnings
Laucke gave his first guitar concert in Montreal in 1965. He studied with master guitarists including Rolando Valdés-Blain, Julian Bream, Alirio Díaz, and Andrés Segovia. In the early 1970s, he met Paco de Lucía in New York, where the two shared a loft and performed for the jet set. This meeting greatly influenced Laucke’s flamenco playing.

Milestones and performances
In 1971 Laucke performed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and in 1972 he had his first New York concert. Segovia invited him to perform for PBS at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1982, and Laucke became Segovia’s pupil. He spent the 1970s and 1980s building a career as a guitarist who could move between classical and flamenco styles. He formed Trio 3 in 1977 and later inspired many Canadian composers to write for him.

Repertoire, recordings and innovations
Laucke created more than 100 transcriptions of classical and flamenco works, helping to broaden the guitar’s repertoire. He was known for performing both classical pieces and flamenco and new flamenco works. He recorded a notable album, Flamenco Road, in 2001, which showcased a hybrid style and used many instruments and dancers. He also transcribed Erik Satie’s Gymnopédies for guitar, with his 1979 transcription published by Waterloo Music Publishing as part of a series of guitar arrangements.

Original works and commissions
Several Canadian composers wrote works specifically for Laucke, including atonal pieces. He performed and premiered these works in major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the National Gallery of Art. He also published articles about the growth of guitar music in Canada.

Teaching, writing and influence
Laucke taught guitar at Concordia University in Montreal in the mid-1970s and later produced an eight-tape instructional video series for guitar. He published music journalism and contributed to discussions about guitar repertoire in Canada. Critics praised his stage presence and his ability to fuse different guitar traditions.

Later years and recognition
Laucke received various honors, including a Grand Prix du Disque-Canada for a recording with Radio Canada International in 1979. The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) called him one of five of Canada’s best-known soloists. He was nominated for the Order of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and again in 2015.

Personal life and legacy
Beyond his music, Laucke was involved with the MAC AIDS Fund as a director from 1994 and helped raise awareness and support through music. He continued performing until 2015, leaving a lasting impact on Canadian guitar music. Michael Laucke died on December 2, 2021, in Montreal at the age of 74.

Legacy
Laucke is remembered as a pioneering interpreter of flamenco in Canada, a prolific arranger and transcriber, and a tireless advocate for the guitar. His work helped bridge classical and flamenco styles and inspired a generation of Canadian guitarists.