Gwyneth Walker
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Dr. Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947) is a graduate of Brown University and the Hartt School of Music. She holds B.A., M.M. and D.M.A. Degrees in Music Composition. A former faculty member of the Oberlin College Conservatory, she resigned from academic employment in 1982 in order to pursue a career as a full-time composer. She now lives on a dairy farm in Braintree, Vermont.
Gwyneth Walker is a proud resident of Vermont. She is the recipient of the Year 2000 "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Vermont Arts Council.
Walker's catalog includes over 170 commissioned works for orchestra, band, chorus and chamber ensembles. The music of Gwyneth Walker is published by E.C. Schirmer of Boston (choral/vocal music) and MMB Music of St. Louis (orchestral/instrumental music).
During the 2006-7 season, Gwyneth Walker traveled across the United States working with a variety of musicians as they premiered and recorded her works. As a result of these collaborations, several new CDs have been released: A Vision of Hills (piano trios and string works, performed by Trio Tulsa), An Hour to Dance (music for SATB chorus recorded by the choirs at Whitman College) and Now Let Us Sing! (with Bella Voce Women’s Chorus, Burlington, Vermont).
In addition to the composing of new works, there has also been a special project of creating orchestral accompaniments for a number of choral and vocal works in the Walker catalog. Thus, the Songs for Women’s Voices, I Thank You God, I Will Be Earth and the song cycle, No Ordinary Woman!, have all been orchestrated. Two performances of this repertoire were given at Carnegie Hall during the 2005-6 season. Another new work, A Testament to Peace, combines a number of peace-oriented choral works (Tell the Earth to Shake, The Tree of Peace, and There is a Way to Glory) into a set with chamber orchestra.
Commissions for the coming year will include several works for brass quintet: a new Christmas suite, A Season of Wonder, for the Nebraska Brass, and Sweet Imagination for the Carolina Brass. Orchestral compositions will span a variety of genres: Muse of Amherst (based on poetry of Emily Dickinson) for the Holyoke, MA, Civic Symphony and narrator; The Rainbow Sign (the first in a set of American Songs for Orchestra) for the Santa Cruz, CA, Symphony; an orchestral and narrative adaptation of the Walker Acquaintance with Nature (based on the writings of H. D. Thoreau); an Idyll for Flute and Strings for the Mistral Ensemble of Andover, MA, and Voices in Song for the Walla Walla, WA, Symphony and Youth Chorus.
New works for chorus, vocal soloists, instrumentalists and chamber opera will fill out the coming schedule. It is always the composer's desire to explore a variety of genres, especially those with dramatic potential.
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Top photograph (with cows) and color portrait by Robert Eddy. View press kit for full-size downloadable photos.
The published works of Gwyneth Walker are available for purchase (and/or rental) from the publishers, not from the composer. See the catalog of works for order numbers and contact information for all publishers.
Students doing projects on the music of Gwyneth Walker are directed to first download and read "Guidelines for Student Research on Living Composers" and then consult the Letters, Articles, Essays and Research Documents sections on this site for background information. Questions formed after reading these sections are welcomed. Teacher participation is encouraged.
To reach the composer:
By email: walkermuse@aol.com
By physical mail: 273 Brainstorm Road, Braintree, Vermont 05060-9209
Copyright © 2000-08 Gwyneth Walker Last Updated 13-May-08 webmaster@gwynethwalker.com
