Ulysses Kay received a B.M. (1938) from the University of Arizona and an M.M. in composition (1940) from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers. He also studied with Paul Hindermith at the Berkshire Music Center (1941), Yale University (1942), and Otto Luening at Columbia University. Kay has received numerous awards and honors; among them are: the 1965 State Department Cultural Exchange for American Composers to Russian, the Ditson, Rosenwald, and Guggenheim Fellowships, the Prix de Rome (twice), and honorary doctorates. Kay has written extensively and his compositions include: Markings, Of New Horizons, Three Pieces After Blake, Fantasy Variations, Choral Triptych, Umbrian Science, The Operas, Jubilee, and The Juggler of Our Lady.

Source: Perkins Holly, Ellistine. Biographies of Black Composers and Songwriters; A Supplementary Textbook. Iowa:Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1990.