Adolphus Hailstork

Who is Adolphus Hailstork?

Adolphus Hailstork is an American composer and educator. He grew up in Albany, New York, where he studied violin, piano, organ, and voice.

Hailstork received a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a doctorate in music composition from Michigan State University in 1971, studying with H. Owen Reed. His other composition instructors include Mark Fax, Vittorio Giannini, David Diamond, and Nadia Boulanger.

He has served as professor at Youngstown State University in Ohio, as well as professor of music and Composer-in-Residence at Virginia's Norfolk State University. He is currently a professor of music and Composer-in-Residence at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Hailstork is of African American ancestry and his works blend musical ideas from both the African American and European traditions.

Hailstork's awards include a Fulbright fellowship. In 1992 he was named a Cultural Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Old Dominion University maintains the Adolphus Hailstork Collection, in the special collections area of the F. Ludwig Diehn Composers Room, in the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Center.