Louis Anthony deLise

Early career and education

In 1966, at 16 years old, deLise collaborated on his first independently released recording with singers Eddie Bruce and Richard Bush, playing both drums and piano on the record.

In 1968, deLise entered Temple University's College of Music (now the Boyer College of Music and Dance) where he majored in composition and orchestral percussion performance. His principal composition teacher at university was Clifford Taylor. His percussion professors were Jack Moore (of the Minnesota Orchestra) and Charles Owen, Principal Percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He remained an active performing musician and began his studio career as he co-wrote, arranged and conducted the theme for WCAU-10’s daily news broadcast, The Newsroom.

During the summers of his undergraduate study, Louis attended the Ambler Music Festival (later the Temple Music Festival), participating in the composition seminars of Vincent Persichetti, George Crumb, and George Rochberg. During this time his Two Dances for Marimba and Orchestra was read by the Pittsburgh Symphony.^[11]

DeLise left his undergraduate studies for about a year to pursue performance opportunities as a set drummer, studio musician, and an arranger/conductor. He returned to his studies and earn his Bachelor of Music in composition in 1974.^{[citation needed]}

1970s

In 1975, deLise earned his first Billboard magazine “Pick Hit” for an R&B record called "Later Than You Think" by The Coalitions.^[12] for which he was arranger, conductor, pianist and percussionist^[13] Other successful records soon followed including The J’s “When Did You Stop”^[14] (produced, arranged, and co-written by deLise with Michael Kurman, Jr. in 1977); a Billboard Disco Top 100 single, “J’Ouvert,”^[15] by John Gibbs with the Jam Band.^[16][17][18]

By the late 1970s, deLise began to work with publishers and producers in New York City. In 1979, he arranged and conducted sessions in New York City and Philadelphia for producer Danny Weiss for artist Chris Hills and for The Diamond Dolls release on the Vanguard Records label. While working in Manhattan, deLise studied composition with Stanley Wolfe at the Juilliard School’s Extension Division and studied film scoring with composer Don Sebesky.^{[citation needed]}

1980s

In 1980, deLise was co-producer, co-writer, arranger and conductor for William DeVaughn’s second hit album, Figures Can’t Calculate^[19] appeared in both the Billboard "Top Single Pick" (recommended)^[20] and Record World "Black Oriented Singles".^[21]

In 1984, deLise founded the broadcast production music company MusiCrafters, Inc^[22] for which he was its principal composer, arranger, and producer. For MusiCrafters, deLise composed hundreds of production music library tracks and scored films and television programs for clients including Capital Cities Communications, PBS, CBS, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Meyers/Squibb, Pep-Boys, Sunoco, Merck, Janssen Pharmaceutica, DuPont and many others.^{[citation needed]}

1990s

During the 1990s, deLise continued his work as a percussionist and arranger with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops,^[23] teaching at Temple University, and writing music for several television programs, including PrimeTime, a weekend magazine show on WPVI-TV. In addition, he was composer/music director and conductor of the orchestra for the inaugural show and presentations of the Barrymore Awards in Philadelphia.^[24]

In 1996, with a major grant from the Pew Charitable Trust, deLise created, wrote scripts, and produced the radio program series, Notes from Philadelphia.^[25] The program was broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate WRTI-FM in Philadelphia. Guests on the interview program included mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, and pianists Garry Graffman and Peter Nero. deLise also composed the program’s theme music. ^{[citation needed]}

2000s

With the turn of the new century, deLise re-entered the Philadelphia record production business when he was hired in 2004 to work on a new album, Timeless Journey, by Patti LaBelle. Louis wrote and conducted the string orchestra arrangement for "2 Steps Away," one of two singles from the album, written by deLise’s elder son, Jonathan DeLise. DeLise was also string orchestra arranger and conductor for Patti LaBelle’s next album, The Gospel According to Patti LaBelle.

In 2011, deLise was commissioned to write an expanded orchestral arrangement of “2 Steps Away” for Ms. LaBelle and the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra as they appeared on A Concert for Hope, a televised commemoration of the September 11 attacks.

In 2015, deLise released new and re-arranged versions of compositions from his northern soul catalogue and gained international attention.^[26]

Since 2015, deLise has turned almost exclusively to the composition of chamber music and the production of what he calls, “Post Genre” instrumental recordings. Working with print publishers, ALRY Publications and Metropolis Music Publishers, deLise has composed several successful compositions including his concerto, Salone del Astor that was named, “Best Newly Published Mixed Duet” by the National Flute Association (NFA) in 2019^[27] and Flouting Convention, nominated in the NFA’s 2025 awards.^[28]

deLise’s critically acclaimed Post Genre albums include^[29][30]

• Natural Light (2019; featuring Nancy Rumbel and Jeff Oster)^{[31][32][33][34]}
• A Gift of Moments (2021)^[35]
• To Dance with You (2022; featuring John McMurtery and Anne Sullivan)
• Close Enough to Perfect (2022)
• Red Lotus (2022; featuring John McMurtery, Charles Abramovic, Luigi Mazzocchi, and Vivian Barton Dozor)
• Iridescence (2024; featuring John McMurtery, Nancy Rumbel, Bruce McFarland and Vivian Barton)^[36][37]

In 2022, deLise orchestrated Robin Spielberg’s album, By Way of the Wind.^[38] The album, recorded in Hungary with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, won many awards, including from Clouzine International Magazine, and the Global Music Awards. It appeared in the top ten of Billboard magazine’s “Classical Crossover” chart for several weeks in 2023.^[39]