A Workshop with composer Adolphus Hailstork
Join us for a special performer-composer workshop featuring music by esteemed composer Adolphus Hailstork and students in the WashU music program. Known for a rich musical language that blends lyricism, spiritual depth, and vivid orchestral color, Hailstork has written widely for chorus, chamber ensembles, orchestra, and solo voice, often drawing inspiration from African American history, literature, and faith traditions. During the workshop, student performers—including Giulia Vitolo, the WashU Chamber Choir, and several others—will share selected works for discussion, rehearsal insight, and direct feedback from the composer himself. This collaborative event offers a rare opportunity to hear Hailstork’s music interpreted by WashU musicians while also learning from his perspective on style, interpretation, and expressive intent. The workshop will highlight the enduring significance of Hailstork’s voice in contemporary American music.
Biography
Adolphus Hailstork (b. April 17, 1941) is one of America's most distinguished contemporary composers, renowned for a body of work that spans orchestral, choral, chamber, band, and operatic music. Born in Rochester, New York, and raised in Albany, he began studying piano, violin, organ, and voice as a child and demonstrated an early passion for composition. His musical education included studies with some of the twentieth century's most influential teachers, including Mark Fax at Howard University, Vittorio Giannini and David Diamond at the Manhattan School of Music, Nadia Boulanger at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, and H. Owen Reed at Michigan State University, where he earned his doctorate in composition in 1971.
Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, Hailstork has created music that draws upon African American musical traditions while embracing the broader classical canon. His compositions often address themes of history, justice, and cultural identity, reflecting his belief that music can speak powerfully to social and human concerns. His works have been performed by leading ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and have been championed by conductors such as James DePreist, Daniel Barenboim, Kurt Masur, and Lorin Maazel.
Among Hailstork's most notable compositions are his symphonies, concertos, choral works, and operas. Opera audiences know him especially for Joshua's Boots, commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Kansas City Lyric Opera and premiered in 1999, as well as Rise for Freedom, inspired by the Underground Railroad. His catalog also includes celebrated works such as American Guernica, Whitman's Journey, Earthrise, and Fanfare on “Amazing Grace,” which gained national attention when it was performed during the 2021 U.S. presidential inauguration.
In addition to his accomplishments as a composer, Hailstork has been a dedicated educator and advocate for American music. He taught at Youngstown State University, Norfolk State University, and Old Dominion University, where he served as Professor of Music and Composer-in-Residence. His contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship and designation as a Cultural Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Today, Hailstork is celebrated as a pioneering voice in American classical music whose works continue to enrich the repertoire and inspire audiences around the world.