Composer-lyricist Walter Robinson is noted for his lyrical song Harriet Tubman which is sung by children internationally and has been described as "an American folk classic." Defying categories of presentation, Harriet Tubman has also been performed by the San Francisco and Baltimore Symphonies accompanied by gospel choirs. This orchestral version is published by G. Schirmer, Inc. in New York.
As an artist-in-residence at the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for Afro-American Research, at Harvard University, Robinson wrote the music and lyrics for the gospel opera Look What A Wonder Jesus Has Done, based on the Denmark Vesey Slave Conspiracy of 1822. Robinson has earned over forty grants and prizes for Look What A Wonder Jesus Has Done including a National Endowment for the Arts' Composer Librettist Award. Music from this work has been performed for former President Clinton, Nelson Mandela, and Kofi Annan.
Robinson's second gospel opera, MOSES, was commissioned by Meet the Composer, Inc. and supported by grants from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Bob and Myra Kraft Foundation, The Paul and Phyllis Fireman Foundation, and Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation. "The Ten Commandments" from MOSES, co-composed with Charles Floyd, was performed by the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall in June 1997 with the 150-voice Tanglewood Festival Chorus.
Walter Robinson's current musical theater project is a hip hop musical entitled "ONE". ONE is a contemporary Black urban musical that re-tells the classic story of Moses. Written in verse, ONE uses rap, R&B, and jazz, as well as hot urban hip-hop and electrifying break-dance. ONE is about ‘miracles,’ told through the musical journey and personal transformation of Mo, a teen hip-hop star.
Walter Robinson has been featured on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition. He was the subject of a national PBS half-hour special entitled "Walter Robinson and His Music" produced by WGBH Boston. Robinson has also been featured in The Christian Science Monitor, TIME Magazine, The Boston Sunday Globe, The New York Times, and American Theater Magazine.
Walter Robinson is currently composer-in-residence at Jubilee Christian Church, Boston, MA.
Robinson is developing a new gospel play entitled “Don’t Even Think About” and a screenplay entitled “The Rose of the Black River,” based on a novel by Alexander Dumas.
Walter Robinson is available for talks, presentations, and musical theatre workshops. For more information please e-mail