Scottish Music Centre - Industry Directory

Artists | Classical | Conductors/Choral Directors

Garry Walker holds positions of Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Music Director of the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra and Principal Conductor of Paragon Ensemble.

Born and educated in Edinburgh, Garry Walker took up the 'cello at the age of seven and became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

He was offered a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music but opted to take up a scholarship on the prestigious joint course at the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University. He graduated in 1995 with first class honours and now holds graduate and post-graduate diplomas from the RNCM as well as several prizes for chamber music and conducting. At University Garry Walker conducted the Chamber Orchestra for two years and commissioned several new works from student composers.

The award of a Junior Fellowship in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in 1997 to study with Edward Warren and Timothy Reynish enabled him to conduct a wide repertoire from the baroque to contemporary, performing with many celebrated musicians. In November 1998 he conducted a highly acclaimed performance of Henze's opera Pollicino which opened the "Henze at the RNCM" Festival and conducted the RNCM Sinfonia at the Montepulciano Festival in Italy.

In May 1999 Garry Walker completed his Junior Fellowship in conducting gaining the first distinction ever awarded by the RNCM for conducting. In July 1999 he won the Sixth Leeds Conductor's Competition.

October 1999 saw his notably successful London debut replacing at very short notice an indisposed Daniele Gatti in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's opening concert of their season at the Barbican. He has since worked regularly with the orchestra.

In January 2000 he took part in a masterclass with Pierre Boulez and the London Symphony Orchestra as a result of which he was invited to take part in the Conducting Academy with Pierre Boulez at the Aix en Provence Festival in the summer of 2000.

In the UK Garry Walker has worked with such orchestras as the Hallé Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and Scottish Symphony Orchestras, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, English Northern Philharmonia, London Sinfonietta, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and, most recently, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Chamber orchestras that he has conducted include the Northern Sinfonia, Paragon Ensemble, Ensemble 10:10, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. In 2002 he made three appearances at the Edinburgh Festival conducting concerts with the Edinburgh Festival Ensemble, Paragon Ensemble and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and returned to the Festival in 2003 for concerts with Paragon Ensemble and a performance of Mahler Symphony No 2 with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

In Germany he has conducted a tour with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie and a series of concerts with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra. He returned to Germany at the beginning of 2003 to make his debut with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.

Future engagements include concerts with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.

An enthusiastic hill walker and climber, Garry Walker is often to be found scaling a Munro.