DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically proven stage IV malignant melanoma that is refractory to standard treatment or for which no curative therapy exists
• Measurable disease
• HLA-A2 positive
• No known CNS metastases or carcinomatous meningitis

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

• 18 and over

Performance status:

• ECOG 0-2

Life expectancy:

• At least 12 weeks

Hematopoietic:

• Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm^3
• Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin greater than 9.0 g/dL

Hepatic:

• Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 3 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• AST no greater than 3 times ULN

Renal:

• Creatinine no greater than 1.5 times ULN

Cardiovascular:

• No New York Heart Association classification III or IV heart disease

Other:

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No concurrent seizure disorder
• No active concurrent psychiatric disorder requiring antipsychotic medication
• No concurrent uncontrolled infection
• No immune deficiency
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except locally resected basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

• No prior tyrosinase peptide, gp100 antigen, or MART-1:27-35 antigen
• At least 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy or immunotherapy
• No other concurrent immunotherapy

Chemotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (at least 6 weeks since prior mitomycin or nitrosoureas) and recovered
• No concurrent chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

• Not specified

Radiotherapy:

• At least 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy involving no more than 25% of bone marrow
• No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

• Not specified