BIOGRAPHY
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I wrote my first mass on my 12th birthday. It was performed in New York City at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine,
and at St. Anne's Pro-Cathedral of Brooklyn, both in NYC. Before that age I sang, played guitar & wrote songs for a rock group. At age 13 my Organ Sonata: 12 Tone Under Glass; was performed on numerous concerts across New England by my father, Dr. Sam Walter. My St. Mark Passion was written when I was age 17 and performed the following year at The Church of The Resurrection in New York City. You can click on any of the bunnies (or the button) to the right to hear selections from my St. Mark Passion: |
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I received a Bachelor of Music in musical composition from The Juilliard School of Music. I studied with Vincent Persichetti (2 years) & with Otto Leuning & David Diamond.
I placed out of secondary piano and the first two years of theory and I received an honorary scholarship my Junior year. My Masque of The Red Death (age 21; rewritten in 2021: please see III/I/III) was recorded by The Juilliard Concert Orchestra in my senior year. In my sophomore year, The Juilliard Concert String Orchestra recorded my Cloud Blue (age 19: please see III/III/IV): and Please click on the picture to the right to hear "Cloud Blue" and read the score: |
Cloud Blue Recording/Score
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I pursued a PhD in musical composition at Boston University, where I taught courses in Ear Training and Keyboard Harmony on a teaching fellowship. I finished all but one of the courses and wrote the thesis (III/I/6d). I studied composition with Joyce MeKeel, David Del Tredici, John Thow & orchestration with Lester Trimble.
Subsequently I was offered post graduate scholarships in opera at Boston Conservatory & New England Conservatory. I also have an Master's of Arts degree in vocal performance from Trenton State Teacher's College. Among other teachers, I studied voice with (left to right below) Oren Brown (Juilliard) & Metropolitan Opera stars: Jeffrey Gall, countertenor, & Jerome Hines, bass. I gave the Boston premiere of the male solos in the newly discovered chamber version of The Fauré Requiem at King's Chapel, Boston under Daniel Pinkham. In addition, I gave vocal workshops in Lexington, Massachusetts; and at Colby College, Waterville, Maine and taught private voice for several decades.
I have been the composer-in-residence for The Putnam Court Musicians (also regular performer); Primetime for Kids at Massasoit College in Brockton, MA. (also music director & pianist) & Music Now and Now Dance (also artistic director and regular performer); I was one of three composers with Charles Turner & Merton Brown (see "Teachers..."). Guest composers included: Gary Nolan, Daniel Pinkham, David Swerdlove, & my father, Dr. Sam Walter.
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My music has been performed: Copley Square Ballet Company, Kinetic Dance Theater of Moscow, M. I. T. Concert Band, Mobius, North Shore Civic Ballet, OutLook Film and Video, NYC. My Invocation for Organ was commissioned by The American Guild of Organists and is published by E. C. Schirmer. Two of the series that I produced for Boston Neighborhood Network-TV: Crazy Dinosaurs and Out-TV won an honorable mention and
2nd prize in The Hometown USA Film and Video Competition. Please click on any dinosaur (or the button) to the right to visit Crazy Dinosaurs: |
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