ARTISTIC PROFILE

William Garfield Walker is a conductor based in Vienna. His work has been praised by Klassik Begeistert for “an irresistible instinct for extended arcs of tension and great pathos.”

Walker brought together musicians from more than thirty countries to found the Nova Orchester Wien in 2020, on the conviction that the symphony orchestra is not a museum but a living force. Described by Die Presse as a “visionary Viennese sound culture,” the orchestra performs at Vienna’s Musikverein and Konzerthaus. Its repertoire spans the great symphonies of Bruckner, Mahler and Shostakovich alongside Austrian premieres of works by William Grant Still, Lili Boulanger, Jennifer Higdon, Florence Price and Germaine Tailleferre. Under his leadership the orchestra collaborated with the International Bruckner Society during the Bruckner 200 celebrations with a performance of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, presented a digital concert for the G20 Economic Forum, and in 2025 became Cultural Partners of UNICEF. In the 2026/27 season, Walker leads the orchestra on a twelve-city tour of China.

He has conducted orchestras across Europe and the United States, including the Berlin Sinfonietta, Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Orquesta Reino de Aragón, Sofia Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands and Symphony of the Americas. He recently conducted the Wiener Concert-Verein at the Musikverein for an album recording released on Solo Musica. In June 2026, Walker participates in the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg, working with the Bamberg Symphony.

Walker was personally selected by Riccardo Muti to participate in the Italian Opera Academy at the Tokyo Spring Festival, working with the Tokyo-HARUSAI Festival Orchestra and conducting Verdi’s Attila. He was chosen by members of the Vienna Philharmonic for the AAF Faber Fellowship of the Salzburg Festival, and served as Solti Conducting Fellow at Washington National Opera, holding the Elizabeth Buccheri Residency. He is a four-time recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award and received First Prize in The American Prize in Conducting, professional orchestra division.

He completed his conducting studies in Vienna and further developed his craft with conductors including Riccardo Muti, Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Jorma Panula and Michail Jurowski. Before pursuing conducting, Walker was active as a professional cellist, studying with Richard Hirschl of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and participating in masterclasses with Natalia Gutman and Yo-Yo Ma. He performed under Vladimir Jurowski and Riccardo Muti and studied cello at the Royal College of Music in London. Also a composer published by Universal Edition, Walker's solo, chamber and orchestral works have been performed at the Musikverein, Konzerthaus and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and in collaboration with dance ensembles at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Sarajevo Ballet Festival.

Updated 2026