About Lisa…

Bachelor of Music – University of Southern California

Professional Musician’s Union, Local 47 (Pianist, Orchestrator, Copyist, Proofreader)

American Society Of Composers And Publishers (Composer, Songwriter)

S.A.G./A.F.T.R.A (Vocalist)

Member - Music Teachers' Association Of California

Member - Music Teachers' National Association

Composer Today awards for: Summer Dance, Goodnight Sweet Dreams & Lyric for Piano

Pianist/Singer-Songwriter & Composer Lisa Donovan Lukas began taking piano lessons when she was six years old.  She is a native of Los Angeles and received her Bachelor of Music degree in composition from the University of  Southern California, where her teachers included Morten Lauridsen, James Hopkins, Anthony Vazzana, Robert Linn and William Kraft. Lisa studied piano at USC with Doris Stevenson.  In addition, she  also studied orchestration and composition privately with Albert Harris and continued her piano studies with Bernardo Segall.  Lisa continued composition study for musical theatre with Lehman Engel in the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. 

Upon graduation, Lisa worked as an orchestral proofreader and copyist for over twenty years in the music preparation departments for the studios (Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Sony, Disney, Jo Ann Kane Music Preparation and Eric Stonerook Music) for films, television and records. She also performed extensively as a pianist/singer in restaurants, clubs, hotels and cruise ships.  In addition to singing for films, cartoons and jingles, Lisa has had a number of her songs placed in feature films and has composed and orchestrated for film and television as well.

Since working in the music industry, Lisa developed a passion for teaching piano and specializes in teaching beginning musicians. Lisa is a patient, creative teacher.  She offers individualized instruction so that the student will progress at his or her own pace.  She very much enjoys working with each individual and is committed to every student’s unique creativity.  The more Lisa teaches, the more she feels a connection with life and the miracles that evolve as music becomes a wonderful, irreplaceable part of a person’s experience. Lisa has won Composer Today awards for three of her piano pieces: Summer Dance, Goodnight Sweet Dreams and Lyric for Piano.

LISA DONOVAN LUKAS - RESUME

GENERAL:  Lisa teaches piano privately and gives songwriting lessons at her studio in Pacific Palisades.

She has extensive live performing experience as a pianist and as a pianist/vocalist. Lisa also has had 20 years experience in the music entertainment industry working in the studios (Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Sony, Disney, Jo Ann Kane Music, MCA) with music for film and television as a copyist/proofreader, orchestrator, composer and songwriter.  In addition, she has performed as a singer for sessions in film/television and radio

LIVE PERFORMANCE: (Piano Solo & Piano/Vocals)

Hotel Splendid – Zurich, Switzerland;

Hotel Post – Zermatt, Switzerland

The Queen Mary – Long Beach, CA.; The Smokehouse – Toluca Lake, CA.

The Ventura Club; Royal Crown Odyssey Cruise Ships; Azure Seas Cruise Ships; Hennessy’s; At My Place; The Gardenia; 1000 Wilshire Club; The Palomino; Troubadour

Hotels: The Viscount, Holiday Inn, La Chaumiere, Marriott, Hyatt, Radisson Plaza, Manhattan Beach Country Club, etc.,

Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, private parties

MUSIC PREPARATION, COPYIST & PROOFREADER:

Universal Studios, Warner Brothers Studios, Sony Pictures, Jo Ann Kane Music

Walt Disney Studios, Eric Stonerook Music, MCA:

(including such projects as E.T., Harry Potter, Monster’s Inc., Toy Story, Simpsons, Futurama, King of the Hill, Jurassic Park, Barbra Streisand Concert (2000), Randy Newman, Les Miserables, Batman and Robin, Batman Beyond, Color Purple, Angela’s Ashes, Matrix, Stigmata, Pinky & The Brain, Animaniacs, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas -- and many more!)

ORCHESTRATOR:

The Pebble & The Penguin, The Little Mermaid (Disney TV), Siegfried & Roy, Soap, Benson, I’m A Big Girl Now, Delta House, Escape, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Documentary

COMPOSER:

The Color Of Midnight- Sunset Heat – HBO (featured song)

Everywhere With You – Raging Thunder – New World Pictures (main title song) (lyric & vocal by Lisa Donovan Lukas; music by David Spear)

Poor Everybody Else – The  Musical – Orpheum Theatre (Music & Lyrics)

Source music & songs – Magic of the Golden Bear – Carolco Films

Little Evil Draws – underscore cues – The Little Mermaid (TV)

Source music – DC Cab – Univeral Studios

Source music – Scamps – Universal Studios

Reflections – Women’s Chorus – commission & premiere- Cornell University

Nightwalk – for Chamber Orchestra – Premiered on KFAC radio

Voices – for string quartet & mezzo soprano – Local 47 Composition Grant

Indie CD – original songs by Lisa Donovan Lukas

STUDIO VOCALS:

Babysitters Club – Columbia Pictures, Sunset Heat – New Line Cinema. Raging Thunder- New World, The Last Dragon, D.C. Cab – Universal, Annie – Rastar/Tri-Star, MonsterManners,  Ren & Stimpy – Nickelodeon, Magnum PI – Universal, Jack & Mike – MGM, Super Mario Bros – Saban, Sirons – Stephan Cannell, The Gold Monkey – Universal, Maxie’s World and Lady Lovely Locks – Saban; Juicey Fruit Gum, Tyson Chicken, California Eggs, JC Penny, Sunsweet Prunes, Adler’s Shoes, National Public Radio, Buns Chocolate, Weekend With Bernie

EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Music – University of Southern California

Piano Study with: Bernardo Segall; Doris Stevenson; Ed Willumson, Charlie Shoemake

Scoring for Film: David Raksin, Earle Hagen, Walter Scharf, Don Ray

Orchestration: Albert Harris, William Kraft, James Hopkins

Composition:  Morten Lauridsen, Robert Linn, Anthony Vazzana, William Kraft

BMI Musical Theatre Workshop: Lehman Engel