LUKE ELMER, countertenor, was born and raised in Flower Mound, Texas, and is excited for his third year singing with Chanticleer. Luke earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Brigham Young University in 2019. After moving to California and earning his master’s degree in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2022, he made his operatic debut at Long Beach Opera, performing the title role in Handel’s Giustino. The following year, Luke was an Apprentice Artist at The Santa Fe Opera where he performed the role of the Third Pastor in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. He spent a brief year in New York, singing regularly with the Saint Bartholomew’s Choir, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Choir, and The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys. Prior to joining Chanticleer, he was one of the 2024 group of Gerdine Young Artists at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Luke is the fourth of five children in his family, a proud uncle to six nephews, and a doting dad to an orange cat named Leo. He is grateful to his grandmother Dorothy who first showed him how to love music, and teachers Connie Riska, Matt Quinlan, Robin Tercero Montgomery, Dr. Mark Rohwer, Rosalind Hall, Dr. Andrew Crane, Darrell Babidge, and César Ulloa for refining that love.
Luke Elmer occupies The Ning G. Mercer Chair for the Preservation of the Chanticleer Legacy, given by Ning and Stephen Mercer.