Dr. Gerald Walker, tenor, co-founder of WAIVE, was a native of Shreveport, Louisiana’s Martin Luther King community. He received high critical praise in recital, operatic, oratorio, and musical theater venues. He was a singer, as well as, an academic and writer.  He was a music historian that performed lecture recitals on various topics that held relevance for the African American community. He was Assistant Professor of Music at LeMoyne-Owens College in Memphis, Tennessee and Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, Mississippi. He served as vocal music and music theory instructor and voice area coordinator at both of these colleges.

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He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Prairie View A&M University in 1982. Upon graduation, he received an internship at Interlochen School of Performing Arts, located in Interlochen, Michigan.  While there he was offered a full scholarship for study in the University of Michigan’s Master of Music Program in vocal performance and opera. 

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Upon receipt of his Master’s Degree in 1986 from the University of Michigan, he relocated to Houston, Texas to further his training with noted soprano, Bernadine Oliphint. However, after establishing himself in Houston, he was stricken with end-stage renal failure (Kidney disease), which resulted in his return to Louisiana.

 

Convalescing in Louisiana saw this remarkable man fighting to re-train his body to meet the demands of high vocal artistry, balanced with the rigors of dialysis. Even though he was faced with this major health challenge, he began performing in various operatic and musical theater productions, and became a resident artist at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral where he made public appearances in recitals, operas, and concerts throughout the Shreveport, Louisiana area.

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In 1991 he began the pursuit of the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree as the University of Michigan, where he studied with among others, Metropolitan Opera stars, tenor  George Shirley, and soprano Shirley Verrett. While working to fulfill his academic goals he was awarded the Martin Luther King/ Rosario Chavez/ Rosa Parks (K.C.P.) Post-Candidacy Fellowship. His research took him to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and Italy. During his stay in Italy, he made his European debut as a concert tenor with the Universite di Bologna Sinfonia e Coro for their celebration of Henry Purcell’s 300 th birthday. Upon his return from Europe he authored the dissertation entitled, “The African-American Concert Singers of the Nineteenth Century: T Birth of an Undaunted Legacy”.  The well-received work chronicles the lives, experiences and careers of African-American concert artists who began singing and maintained singing careers during America’s Ante-bellum, Reconstruction, and Early Jim Crow eras.

 

Gerald-Anthony received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan in 1998 while simultaneously undergoing kidney dialysis and in 2000 he received his long awaited kidney transplant.