Lukas Schiske was born in Vienna in 1962. He studied classical percussion and jazz percussion at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
After his studies Lukas Schiske worked with classical orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra as well as with several baroque orchestras. In addition, he has performed with various chamber music ensembles covering a wide range of musical styles, and collaborated with artistic personalities such as Michael Heltau and Claude Bolling. Over the years, he has increasingly specialised in contemporary music.
Both as a soloist and as an ensemble player, Lukas Schiske is a regular guest at the most renowned international music festivals including Wien Modern, Wiener Festwochen, Bregenzer Festspiele, Lucerne Festival, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Venice Biennale, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Sacrum Profanum Cracow, and Ultima.
He has worked closely with many composers such as Georg Friedrich Haas, Beat Furrer, Salvatore Sciarrino, Georges Aperghis, Olga Neuwirth, Rebecca Saunders, Mauricio Kagel and Luciano Berio.
Lukas Schiske is repeatedly active as a jazz and rock drummer - also in cross-border genres - and as such has played together with Wolfgang and Christian Muthspiel and Franz Hautzinger, for example. He regularly participates in a Frank Zappa program with the Stuttgart-based Ensemble Ascolta. In 2010 he founded the Drumset Quartet, consisting of colleagues from the most important European ensembles for new music, with whom he performed at the Tonlagen Festival in Hellerau.
Stage appearances include productions at the Salzburg Festival, the Schwetzinger SWR Festival and at the Opéra-Comique in Paris with Christoph Marthaler, Anna Viehbrock and Jérome Deschamp.
By now, his discography includes approximately 100 CD productions.
Since 2013, Lukas Schiske holds a teaching position as professor for new playing techniques at the University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw) Vienna.
Lukas Schiske has been a permanent member of Klangforum Wien since its inception in 1985.