Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IIB, Stage IIC, Stage III, or Stage IV Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma * Stage IIB, IIC, III, or IV disease * Patients with stage III or IV disease who are free of disease after surgical resection\* are eligible * Patients free of disease after surgical resection\* must have refused high-dose interferon alfa OR experienced recurrent disease during prior treatment with interferon alfa NOTE: \*Patients who underwent surgical resection must have had the surgery within the past year * HLA-A0201 positive * No detectable brain metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * Any age Performance status * Karnofsky 80-100% Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * WBC ≥ 3,000/mm\^3 * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm\^3 * Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm\^3 * Hemoglobin ≥ 10 g/dL * No active bleeding Hepatic * Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) * Albumin ≥ 3.5 g/dL * AST and ALT ≤ 2.5 times ULN * Lactate dehydrogenase ≤ 2 times ULN * No clinical history of hepatitis B or C Renal * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL Immunologic * No clinical history of HIV * No clinical history of HTLV-1 * No active infection requiring antibiotics within the past 72 hours * No history of collagen vascular, rheumatologic, or other autoimmune disorder * No grade 1 fever within the past 72 hours Other * Not pregnant or nursing * Negative pregnancy test * Fertile patients must use effective contraception * Weight ≥ 25 kg * No serious underlying medical condition that would preclude study participation * No preexisting uveal or choroidal eye disease PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * See Disease Characteristics * More than 4 weeks since prior immunotherapy * No prior immunization with any class of vaccine containing gp100, including whole cell, shed antigen, or cell lysate vaccines Chemotherapy * More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas) Endocrine therapy * No concurrent corticosteroids that would preclude study participation Radiotherapy * More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy * No concurrent radiotherapy Surgery * See Disease Characteristics Other * Recovered from all prior therapy * No other concurrent medication that would preclude study participation * No other concurrent investigational agents * No other concurrent systemic therapy