| Timeline |
| 1936 |
Born 3 October, in New York |
| 1940 |
Studies drumming at the age of 14 with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra timpanist |
| 1953 |
Begins degree program in philosophy at Cornell |
| 1958 |
Studies composition at the Julliard School |
| 1962 |
Studies at Mills College with Milhaud and Berio |
| 1966 |
Begins performing with his own ensemble |
| 1970 |
Studies drumming with the Ewe tribe in Ghana |
| 1973 |
Plays in a Balinese gamelan at Berkeley
|
| 1976 |
Studies traditional forms of cantillation
(chanting) of the Hebrew scriptures in New York and Jerusalem |
| 1986 |
Earns (with Laura Dean) a Bessie Award for Impact |
| 1990 |
Receives a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Composition for Different Trains |
| 1994 |
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters |
