Composer Karen Walwyn

Composer Karen Walwyn, D.M.A., New York (USA)

Concert Pianist/Composer and Recording Artist for Albany Records, Karen Walwyn, is known for her two volumes of music by American composers entitled Dark Fires along with her recent premier recording of the Florence Price Concerto for Piano with the Black Music Repertory Ensemble by invitation of the Center for Black Music Research. As a Duke Mellon Faculty Fellow, (2011-12), she completed her most recent composition entitled “Of Dance & Struggle” a monumental choral work celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela. Ms. Walwyn spends equal amounts of time in writing, composing and performing internationally as well as conducting piano workshops and master classes.

I am most honored and humbled to have received the invitation to write a variation for the Diabelli project founded by Dr. Lia Jenson-Abbott.  It is an incredible project and a beautiful way to bring the world together in such a musical and harmonious way. She is a role model to be admired as I do. I hope many will join her on this beautiful musical journey. 

Karen Walwyn, D.M.A

Dr. Walwyn has recently completed a year on Sabbatical from Howard University having been awarded a Mellon Faculty Fellowship (2011-12) from the John Hope Franklin Institute at Duke University where she completed her debut choral/solo piano/African Percussion work entitled Of Dance & Struggle; A Musical Tribute on the life of Nelson Mandela debuted by the Elon University Chorale directed by Dr. Gerald Knight.

Ms. Walwyn remains busy with concerts of new works, works from the standard literature as well as her own works, master classes and lecture recitals across the country and internationally. Some recent concerts include appearances in Johannesburg-South Africa, Barcelona-Spain, Tenerife- Canary Islands, Salzburg-Austria, London-England, Nice- France and locally to numerous music halls and university campuses including the University of Michigan, Duke University, the University of Indiana, the University of Miami, and the University of Hawaii.