Reminiscences of an American Composer and Pianist

In 1996, George Walker became the first black American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music. This accolade, awarded for his composition Lilacs, was just one of many. He has been the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, two Rockefeller Fellowships, a John Hay Whitney Fellowship, two Guggenheim Fellowships, and six honorary doctoral degrees. Considered one of the most important American composers of the last century, Walker has produced works that rank among the finest in contemporary classical music.

George Walker has taught at Dillard University, the Dalcroze School of Music, the New School for Social Research, the University of Colorado, Rutgers University, where he was chairman of the Music Department, the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Delaware, where he held the first Minority Chair. His extensive output of more than ninety works includes his master piece Lyric for Strings.