Walter Kitundu
Walter Kitundu is a musical instrument builder, graphic artist, and musical composer from San Francisco, California.
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[edit] Biography
Kitundu was born in Rochester, Minnesota and spent his early years in Tanzania. He returned to Minnesota from age 8 to 25, then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in approximately 1998. He currently lives in the Western Addition neighborhood.[1]
[edit] Career and Works
Described as a renaissance man, Kitundu is inventor of the "phonoharp", a stringed instrument incorporating a phonograph. After hearing the instrument, the Kronos Quartet hired Kitundu as their "instrument builder in residence". In addition to a phonoharp he also built a "phonoharp" for each of the quartet's members.[1] For the song "Tèw semagn hagèré" on their 2009 album Floodplain, he created new instruments inspired by the begena, an Ethiopian 10-string lyre.[2]
As of 2008 Kitundu is a "Multimedia Artist" with the Exploratorium, artist in residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts, and a Distinguished visiting professor of "Wood Arts" at the California College of the Arts.[1]
Kitundu is also a wildlife photographer, with a specialty in hawks and other raptors.
[edit] Awards
In September 2008, Kitundu won a MacArthur fellowship.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Sam Whiting (2008-09-23). "MacArthur awarded to Walter Kitundu". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/23/DD9I131DPI.DTL.
- ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (2009). Album notes for Floodplain by Kronos Quartet [CD booklet]. Nonesuch Records (#518349).
[edit] External links
kitundu.com - professional website
