Foss, Lukas [ Lukas Fuchs] (b Berlin, 1922). Ger.-born Amer. composer, pianist, and conductor. Settled in USA 1937. Pianist, Boston SO 1944–50. Worked in Rome 1950–2. Prof. of comp., UCLA, 1953–62. Cond. Buffalo PO 1963–70; Brooklyn PO 1971–90; Jerusalem SO 1972–5; mus. dir. Milwaukee SO 1981–6. Foss's mus. is both traditional and experimental, the latter employing indeterminacy though scores are wholly notated. In his Baroque Variations, on themes by Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti, the method of ‘composition by deletion’ is used in an effective and sophisticated manner. Works incl.:OPERAS: The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (after Mark Twain) (1950); Griffelkin (TV, 1955); Introductions and Goodbyes (1959).BALLET: Gift of the Magi (1945).ORCH.: sym. (1945); pf. conc. No.1 (1944, orig. cl. conc. 1941–2), No.2 (1949, rev. 1953); ob. conc. (1950); Time Cycle, sop., orch. (1960); vc. concert (vc., orch., tape) (1967); Baroque Variations (1967); Paradigm perc., gui., 3 other optional instr. (1968); Orpheus, vn., va. or vc., orch. (1972), rev. as Orpheus and Euridice, 2 vn., orch. (1984); Solomon Rossi Suite (1975); Night Music for John Lennon, brass quintet, orch. (1981); Exeunt (1982); Renaissance Concerto, fl., orch. (1986); sym. No.3 (Symphony of Sorrows) (1988); cl. conc. No.2 (1989); American Landscapes, gui. conc. (1989); Celebration (1990).VOCAL & CHORAL: The Prairie (1944); A Parable of Death (1952); Psalms (1956); Time Cycle, sop., ens. (1960); American Cantata, ten., ch., orch. (1976); 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, sop. or mez., fl., pf., perc. (1978); Round a Common Centre, v. and ens. (1979); De Profundis (1983); With Music Strong, mixed ch., ens. (1988).CHAMBER MUSIC: str. qts.: No.1 (1947), No.2 (1973), No.3 (1975); Composer's Holiday, vn., pf. (1944); Capriccio, vc., pf. (1946); Echoi, for cl., vc., perc., pf. (1961–3); Elytres, for fl., vns., pf., hp., perc. (1964); Cave of the Winds, ww. quintet with multiphones (1972); brass quintet (1978); Curriculum Vitae with Time Bomb, accordeon, perc. (1980); perc. qt. (1983); hn. trio (1984); Embros, various ens. (1985); Tashi, 6 instr. (1986); Central Park Reel, vn., pf. (1989).PIANO: Solo (1981); Solo Observed (1982); Elegy for Anne Frank (1989).