Composer and Pianist George Walker, Winner of Pulitzer Prize and Aaron Copland Award, is 90

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[GeorgeWalker: Great American Orchestral Works, Vol. 3;Albany Records 1334 (2012) (CoverPhoto: Frank Schramm) (56:13)]
GeorgeWalker was born 90 years ago, June 27, 1922. He is a prolificcomposer and pianist whose website is http://georgetwalker.com/;he is featured at AfriClassical.com. His latest recording, reviewed on AfriClassical February 26, 2012,is GeorgeWalker: GreatAmerican Orchestral Works, Vol. 3;Albany Records TROY1334 (2012).
GeorgeWalker was the first composer of African descent to win the Pulitzerprize for music, for his work Lilacs,which was inspired by a poem of Walt Whitman on the death ofPresident Abraham Lincoln.
Uponthe release of Albany TROY117 (1994), Albany Records,http://www.albanyrecords.com,remarked:“George Walker was born in Washington, DC on June 27,1922 of West Indian-American parentage. He graduated from high schoolat the age of 14, attended Oberlin College and the Curtis Instituteof Music where he studied piano with Rudolf Serkin and compositionwith Rosario Scalero. His auspicious debut at Town Hall in 1945 wasdescribed in the New York Times as "notable...an authentictalent of marked individuality and fine musical insight...a rarecombination of elegance and sincerity...an understanding, a technicalcompetence and a sensitiveness rarely heard at debut recitals." Walker obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Eastman andwent on to study in France with Nadia Boulanger on Fulbright and JohnHay Whitney Fellowships. His compositions have been played byvirtually every major orchestra and chamber orchestra in the UnitedStates. This recording uniquely showcases the pianist ascomposer-composer as pianist as Walker performs his Sonata No. 1.”

TheAmerican Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)recently named its 2012 Concert Music Awards Honorees: “ASCAPHonors its distinguished member, George Walker, with the AaronCopland Award in celebration of his 90th year and for hiscontribution to American music as composer, pianist, educator andexemplary musical citizen.”