Postmodern Composer, pianist, and conductor Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork III, who has penned more than 250 works, was born on April 17, 1941, in Rochester, New York, to Lora Hailstork and Adolphus Cunningham Hailstork Jr. However, he was reared in Albany, New York. He has one … Read MoreAdolphus Cunningham Hailstork III (1941- )
Composer, conductor, and lyricist Van Allen Clinton McCoy was born on January 6, 1940, in Washington, D.C., to Norman S. McCoy Sr. and Lillian Ray. Van had one brother, Norman S. McCoy Jr., and a sister Mattie McCoy Taylor. Van began piano studies at four … Read MoreVan McCoy (1940-1979)
Born on August 29, 1929, contralto gospel singer and conductor Albertina Walker, was the youngest of nine siblings. Her parents, Ruben Walker and Camille Coleman Walker, moved from Georgia after the birth of their first four children and raised their family in the Bronzeville community … Read MoreAlbertina Walker (1929-2010)
Concert Pianist, composer, conductor, pedagogic Nelson Hall was born on February 11, 1954, in Marianao, Cuba, to Selvin Hall, a choral conductor from Manzanillo, Cuba, and Elsa Fortun Hall from Placetas, Cuba. He has two siblings, Merari and David. Hall, an intelligent artistically child, began … Read MoreNelson Hall (1954- )
Orchestra conductor Thomas Alphonso Wilkins was born on September 10, 1956, in Norfolk, Virginia, the son of Wallace Y. Wilkins Sr. In 1962 he began school at the city’s segregated Young Park Elementary School. When he was in the third grade, he was introduced to … Read MoreThomas Alphonso Wilkins (1956 – )
Clara Mae Ward, one of the most outstanding soloists and conductors in gospel history, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 21, 1924, to George Ward, a handcrafter and ironworker from Anderson County, South Carolina, and Gertrude Mae Murphy Ward, a pianist and singer also … Read MoreClara Mae Ward (1924-1973)
Conductor, clarinetist, and composer W. Rudolph Dunbar was born on November 26, 1907, in Nabaclis, Guyana. At the age of nine, his musical genius apparent, he was invited to serve as a clarinetist in the British Guiana Militia Band. After a brief apprenticeship for stellar … Read MoreW. Rudolph Dunbar (1907-1988)
World-class symphony conductor Rafael Payare was born February 23, 1980 in the northern port city of Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela, the son of cartographer Juan R. Payare and elementary school teacher Trina Torres de Payare. In 1994, at age 13, Payare began studying French horn … Read MoreRafael Payare (1980- )
As a classical music conductor, Michael Morgan has been instrumental in bringing his eclectic orchestral leadership style to a diverse audience. Since becoming musical director of the Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra in 1990, Morgan has become well respected, particularly in the African American community … Read MoreMichael Morgan (1957-2021)
Charles Dean Dixon, a conductor, was born January 10, 1915, in New York, New York, to West Indian parents Henry Charles Dixon and McClara Rolston Dixon. Dixon’s parents exposed him to classical music at an early age, and his mother taught him to play the … Read MoreCharles Dean Dixon (1915-1976)
