Guild Program: Meet Garry Walker

Winner of the 1999 Leeds Conductor’s Competition, Scottish-born Garry Walker studied conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music. He is artistic director of conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and becomes chief conductor of the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz starting September 2017. He enjoys a close association with Red Note Ensemble, Scotland’s première contemporary music ensemble. Walker’s acclaimed American conducting debut was with the Utah Symphony Orchestra in 2011, followed by his Pacific Symphony debut in 2012-13. In the U.K., Garry Walker has worked with the BBC orchestras, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and English Chamber Orchestra, among others. Recent and future highlights include his debut with Opera North conducting Britten’s Billy Budd, and return engagements with the Auckland Philharmonia, Aberdeen Sinfonietta and Orchestra della Toscana, plus concerts with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Teatro dell’Opera Roma, and Philharmonie Zuidnederland.