Walt Whitman’s poetry has been set to music by numerous composers from his time to ours. Scholars estimate that over 1,200 settings have been composed for Whitman’s robust songs, making him one of the most ‘set’ American poets of all time. In 2015, Rob Paterson responded to a commission by the Gulf Coast Symphony (FL) with “Walt Whitman’s America,” a setting of six poems for baritone and soprano soloists, chorus and orchestra. Please join Rob and Whitman Initiative president Karen Karbiener as they discuss the inspiration and process of creation of “Walt Whitman’s America” and why Whitman’s words continue to sing for today’s audiences.
Described by the press as “a modern-day master” (AXS.com) and the “highlight of the program” (The New York Times), Robert Paterson has composed over one-hundred works and won numerous awards for his music in virtually every classical genre. The Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie’s Weill Hall named Paterson Composer of The Year. His works have appeared on National Public Radio’s Best of the Year lists for classical music and regularly appear on radio playlists across the United States. For more information, visit robertpaterson.com.
Karen Karbiener, president and founding member of the Walt Whitman Initiative, is a Whitman scholar and teaches at New York University. Winner of the Kluge Fellowship at the Library of Congress and a Fulbright recipient, she has published widely on Whitman (most recently working with Brian Selznick on Live Oak, with Moss, a new illustrated edition of Whitman’s secret same-sex love poems). 2022 will be her second year participating in the annual Whitman Walk in Bolton, where she first met her dear friend Paul in 2008; this year, she is delighted to work with Paul, Chris Chilton, Karin Coonrod, Kim Edwards-Keates, and others on the first Bolton “Whitman Weekend” around their signature event.