Store

For Presenters

Recital Programs

Each of these programs has been developed as a complete artistic statement, with thought given to both musical argument and audience experience. Full program notes, technical requirements, and promotional copy are available on request.

New for 2027–28 and beyond: Beethoven to Blind Tom

Flagship Program

Bach to BlackNotes

Solo Recital  ·  Lecture-Recital  ·  University Residency

Bach to BlackNotes connects the architecture of Bach with the voices of Black composers across history, creating a recital about lineage, memory, and the expansion of the classical canon. It is a signature offering within a broader catalog of recital and residency programs.

Why this program resonates now Many concert series and institutions are looking for classical programs that speak to contemporary questions about whose voices belong in the canon. Bach to BlackNotes answers that question musically, with familiar repertoire alongside discoveries audiences will carry with them.

Available As

  • 60-minute recital
  • 75-minute recital with intermission
  • Lecture-recital (with spoken context integrated)
  • University residency version (performance + workshops + Q&A)

Sample Repertoire

  • J. S. Bach, Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825
  • Irene Britton Smith, Passacaglia in C-sharp minor
  • Florence Price, Clouds
  • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Three-Fours Suite, Op. 71
  • Michael Abels, Iconoclasm
  • Margaret Bonds, Troubled Water
Inquire About This Program Watch Performance Video
Kyle P. Walker performing live

Ideal for universities, performing arts centers, chamber music series, museums, libraries, and culturally-focused presenting organizations.

1827–2027 · A bicentennial recital · Booking for 2027–28 and beyond

Beethoven to Blind Tom

Two musicians heard through the stories others told about them. One piano brings their music into conversation.

Joseph Karl Stieler’s 1820 portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven · Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820
Thomas Blind Tom Wiggins seated in a circa 1865 photograph by Washington L. Germon
Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins · Washington L. Germon, c. 1865

Portrait sources: Beethoven-Haus Bonn (image via Wikimedia Commons); National Gallery of Art (public domain).

In the year marking 200 years since Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, Kyle P. Walker places the Eroica Variations beside the vivid piano world of Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins. The music moves from Beethoven’s transformation of a single theme through Wiggins’s lyricism, sound painting, mechanical imitation, and theatrical battle scene.

What changes when we hear these two artists in the same room?

One composer was celebrated as a genius working through hearing loss. The other, a Black pianist born enslaved in Georgia, was too often presented as a curiosity. This recital asks audiences to listen past those inherited frames and attend to the invention in both artists’ music. Spoken context brings Wiggins’s life and music into focus without reducing either composer to a story about disability.

Available As

  • Approximately 55-minute recital without intermission
  • Expanded evening recital, approximately 75 minutes of music with intermission
  • Lecture-recital with spoken context and musical demonstrations
  • University or community residency with a workshop or conversation

Running times are estimates; the final selection and order can be tailored to the engagement.

Inquire About This Program

Watch a live performance

The Battle of Manassas
Kyle P. Walker · Beaches Fine Arts Series

Sample Program

Ludwig van Beethoven

  • Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 proposed for the expanded version
  • Variations and Fugue in E-flat major, Op. 35, “Eroica”

Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins

  • March Timpani
  • Rêve Charmant–Nocturne
  • Rain Storm
  • Sewing Song
  • The Battle of Manassas

The shorter version centers on the Eroica Variations and Wiggins. The expanded version adds a late Beethoven sonata; Op. 109 is the current artistic choice as the program develops.

All Programs

Complete Program Catalog

Flagship Recital Program

Bach to BlackNotes

Approximately 80 minutes with intermission

Bach to BlackNotes connects the architecture of Bach with the voices of Black composers across history, creating a recital about lineage, memory, and the expansion of the classical canon. It is a signature offering within a broader catalog of recital, lecture-recital, and residency programs.

Sample Repertoire

  • J. S. Bach - Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major, BWV 825
  • Irene Britton Smith - Passacaglia in C-sharp minor
  • Florence Price - Clouds
  • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Three-Fours Suite, Op. 71
  • Michael Abels - Iconoclasm
  • Margaret Bonds - Troubled Water
Inquire About This Program

Solo Recital Program

Echoes of Variation

Approximately 75 minutes with intermission

Echoes of Variation explores how composers across centuries reinvent themes and transform musical ideas. From Baroque dance variations to Romantic reflection and contemporary reimaginings, this program shows the endless possibilities contained in a single motif.

Sample Repertoire

  • Rameau - Gavotte et Six Doubles
  • Cécile Chaminade - Theme varié, Op. 89
  • Beethoven - Seven Variations on "God Save the King," WoO 78
  • Robert Schumann - Ghost Variations, WoO 24
  • Trevor Weston - Eurythmy Variations
  • Florence Price - Fantasie Nègre No. 1
Inquire About This Program

Solo Recital Program

New World Voices

Approximately 75 minutes with intermission

New World Voices celebrates the breadth of musical expression tied to America and its cultural intersections. From Blind Tom Wiggins' Civil War-era virtuosity to Coleridge-Taylor's spiritual arrangements, Waghalter's rediscovered gems, and Joel Bentley-Thompson's contemporary voice, this program honors tradition while embracing the future.

Sample Repertoire

  • Franz Liszt - Valse oubliées
  • Thomas "Blind Tom" Wiggins - The Battle of Manassas
  • Antonín Dvořák (arr. Szczepanik) - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World" (Second Movement: Largo)
  • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - selections from 24 Negro Melodies, Op. 59
  • Ignatz Waghalter - Trois Morceaux
  • Joel Thompson - My Dungeon Shook: Three American Preludes for solo piano
Inquire About This Program

Additional Formats

Beyond the Recital

Lecture-Recital

Any of the above programs can be presented in a lecture-recital format, with spoken context integrated into the performance. Suitable for university residencies, cultural organizations, and audiences new to classical music.

Chamber Music

Walker performs in chamber music settings as a collaborative pianist. For violin and piano duo programs, visit the Kalish/Walker Duo page. Additional repertoire and collaborator information available on request.

Masterclass & Residency

Extended residency programs are available for universities, conservatories, and summer programs. These can combine performance, masterclass, lecture, and student instruction across one to three days.

Community Engagement

Walker has experience bringing classical music into schools, community centers, and nontraditional settings. Shorter, adaptable programs are available for these contexts.

Booking

Bring One of These Programs to Your Stage

All programs are available for booking. For fees, availability, technical rider, and promotional materials, visit the presenter hub or use the contact form.

Presenter Kit Booking Inquiry
Three Fours, Valse Suite, Op. 71 No. 2 Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
0:00
–:––