The Piano Music of George Walker

Alexandre Dossin is Professor of Piano and Chair of Keyboard at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance. Originally from Brazil, he is a graduate from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia) and holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (USA). Alexandre is a 2024 recipient of Rose Library’s African American History and Culture Visiting Researcher Fellowship.

The piano music of George Walker appeared in my life quite recently, at the end of 2021. It made such a strong impression that in less than 48 hours, I committed to recording his complete piano music with Naxos. In 2022, commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birthday, I performed lecture-recitals around the U.S. in preparation for the recording, which took place in 2023.

After the international release of the 2-CD project in 2024 (which includes a world-premiere recording and the first recording of the piano concerto in over a decade), I decided to share my fingerings and personal experience in Walker’s music with a wide audience of pianists worldwide. This will happen in the form of a performance edition of his piano music, to be released in 2026 by Keiser Publishing.

The Research Fellowship in African American History allowed me to explore in depth the amazing collection of George Walker papers, housed at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Books Library.

The extensive collection includes manuscript scores, first editions, original work from copyists, letters, lectures, and much more. The work done during the fellowship will make this performance edition an invaluable resource for generations of pianists to come.

The music of George Walker is a hidden treasure that needs to be shared with more people. It’s great to see it included more often in piano programs, including in the repertoire of pianists during major piano competitions such as the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. It is my sincere hope that the recording project and the performance edition will be important catalysts in this process.