About
African-American composer who won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Music for "Lilacs." He was commissioned by major ensembles in the United States including the Boston Symphony.
Before Fame
He was introduced to the piano at age five, and he was enrolled in the Oberlin Conservatory when he was 14.
Trivia
He was named to North Carolina's Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 1997. It was presented by then-Governor Jim Hunt.
Family Life
He fathered two sons: violinist and composer Gregory Walker and playwright Ian Walker.
Associated With
He won the Pulitzer Prize for Music 24 years after Elliott Carter was given the same honor in 1973.
