Gwyneth Van Anden Walker facts for kids
Gwyneth Van Anden Walker (born March 22, 1947) is an American music teacher and composer. She writes many different kinds of music, including pieces for choirs, orchestras, and solo instruments.
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About Gwyneth Walker
Gwyneth Walker was born in New York City. She grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut, in a Quaker family. From a young age, she loved to compose music. She studied music composition at Brown University and the Hartt School of Music. Her teacher there was Arnold Franchetti.
After finishing her studies, Gwyneth taught music for 14 years. She taught at the Hartt School of Music, the Hartford Conservatory, and the Oberlin College Conservatory. Later, she moved to a dairy farm in Vermont. There, she became a full-time composer. In 1988, she helped start the Consortium of Vermont Composers. She later became the director of this group.
The Special Gwyneth Walker Chord
Gwyneth Walker even has a special musical chord named after her! It's called the Gwyneth Walker Chord. You can hear it right at the beginning of her big choral piece, 'Tell the Earth to Shake'. This piece is for a choir and an orchestra or piano. The chord is made up of the notes A, Bb, D, and E.
Awards and Honors
Gwyneth Walker has received many awards for her music.
- 1999: Brock Commission from the American Choral Directors Association.
- 2000: Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vermont Arts Council.
- 2008: Athenaeum Award for Achievement in the Arts and Humanities.
- 2012: Elected as a Fellow of the Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- 2017: Composer in Residence with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra.
Gwyneth Walker's Musical Works
Gwyneth Walker has composed a wide variety of music. Her works include songs, jazz, folk songs, spirituals, and rock-and-roll inspired pieces. She also writes a lot of music for choirs, orchestras, and different instruments.
Music for Orchestras
She has written concertos for instruments like the violin with an orchestra. Some of her orchestral pieces include:
- An American Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Music for Instruments
Gwyneth Walker has created many pieces for solo instruments or small groups. These include works for piano, violin, cello, flute, guitar, and brass instruments. Some examples are:
- A Vision of Hills, Fantasy Etudes for violin and piano
- New World Dances for piano trio
- Five Pieces for Flute and Guitar
- Raise the Roof! for brass quintet
Music for Choirs
Choral music is a big part of her work. She writes for different types of choirs, often with piano or other instruments. Some of her well-known choral pieces include:
- An Hour to Dance
- Harlem Songs
- How Can I Keep From Singing?
- This Train
- I Thank You God
Music for Singers
She has also written many vocal works, including song cycles. A song cycle is a group of songs meant to be performed together. Some of her vocal pieces are:
- though love be a day
- Mornings Innocent
- No Ordinary Woman!
- Four American Folk Songs
Music for Keyboards
Gwyneth Walker has composed pieces for piano and organ. These works often show different moods or tell a story. Examples include:
- Cantos for the End of Summer for piano
- In Celebration for organ
