Dr. Karyl June Louwenaar-Lueck

Dr. Louwenaar was born January 11, 1940, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the late Marian Stelma Louwenaar and the late Jacob Louwenaar. She is survived by her husband, William Lueck, of Tallahassee, her brother, Dr. Keith Louwenaar and his wife, Marilyn of Sparks, Nevada, her sister, Betty Louwenaar, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and her nieces, Lindsey Weaver and Kirstin Filliez, and nephew, Evan Louwenaar.

Her teaching career began at Wheaton College in Illinois, where she taught piano on the faculty for five years. A pioneer in the resurgence of early music and harpsichord performance, she enjoyed the next 35 years teaching and performing in the College of Music at Florida State University. Although hired as a piano professor at FSU, she soon turned her fascination with the harpsichord and fortepiano toward a new curriculum and instituted the Early Music Ensemble that introduced students to historical keyboard/string/wind and vocal performance practice. She influenced countless students over the years in both her piano studio and her harpsichord/fortepiano studio, giving students a rare and unique opportunity to experience beautifully crafted replicas of historical keyboards. The college’s historical keyboard collection grew under her stewardship and continues to serve in recitals, concerts, and operas every semester.

Dr. Louwenaar earned the Bachelor of Music degree from Wheaton College, the Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, and the Doctor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Karyl brought her love of early music to the community at large by founding the Tallahassee Bach Parley and serving as its artistic director and harpsichordist for its first twenty years. Active in the music community locally, she was also an influential member of the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society. She was a member of University Lutheran Church.Visitation will be held at Culley’s Meadowwood Funeral Home, 700 Timberlane Road, on Monday, March 14, from 5:00 until 7:00 pm. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, March 15, at 11:00 am at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions to the Tallahassee Bach Parley, P.O. Box 1202, Tallahassee, Florida 32302.