Great Day (That Great Gittin' Up Mornin')

Adolphus Hailstork received his doctorate in composition from Michigan State University, where he was a student of H. Owen Reed. He had previously studied at the Manhattan School of Music, under Vittorio Giannini and David Diamond, at the American Institute at Fontainebleau with Nadia Boulanger, and at the Howard University with Mark Fax.

Dr. Hailstork has written works for chorus, solo voice, piano, organ, various chamber ensembles, band, orchestra, and opera. Significant performances by major orchestras (Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York) have been led by leading conductors such as James de Priest, Paul Freeman, Daniel Barenboim, Kurt Masur, Lorin Maezel, Jo Ann Falletta and David Lockington. In March 2019 Thomas Wilkins conducted Hailstork's AN AMERICAN PORT OF CALL with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Some of Hailstork's newest works include THE WORLD CALLED (based on Rita Dove's poem TESTIMONIAL), for soprano, chorus and orchestra commissioned by the Oratorio Society of Virginia.

The President's own United States Marine Band pre-ceremony repertoire Jan 20, 2021 included Adolphus Hailstork's "Fanfare on Amazing Grace".

Dr. Hailstork resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is Professor of Music and Eminent Scholar at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.