Daniel Pinkham (1923-2006)
Composer

Massachusetts native Daniel Pinkham became a legendary figure in Boston's classical musical scene as a composer, organist, faculty member at the New England Conservatory, and musical director at King's Chapel. Pinkham trained at Phillips Academy in Andover, Harvard University and Tanglewood with such musical giants as Paul Hindemith, Samuel Barber, Nadia Boulanger, Aaron Copland, and Walter Piston. His diverse compositions were built on interests in both early music as well as modern experimentation, and they earned popular appeal for their technical and aesthetic accessibility.

Coro Allegro established the Daniel Pinkham Award in 2008 to be given annually in memory of Daniel Pinkham and in recognition of outstanding contributors to classical choral music and the LGBTQ+ communities. Award recipients include Sam Brinton (2022), GALA Choruses Board & Staff (2021), Coro Allegro's accompanist Darryl Hollister (2019), GALA Choruses executive director Robin Godfrey (2018), ArtsBoston executive director and past Chorus America board chair Catherine Peterson (2017), GLAD executive director and prior singing Coro Allegro member Janson Wu (2016), conductor Lorna Cooke deVaron (2015), Laury Gutiérrez, founder and Music Director of La Donna Musicale (2014), Artistic Director David Hodgkins (2013), conductor Donald Teeters (2012), composer Patricia Van Ness (2011), flutist Fenwick Smith (2010), the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire (2009), and baritone Sanford Sylvan (2008).