ARTISTIC PROFILE

William Garfield Walker is an American 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 has conducted orchestras across Europe, Asia and the United States, including the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Sofia Philharmonic, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Astrakhan State Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Reino de Aragón, Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. In 2026, he was selected from more than 500 applicants for the Mahler Competition in Bamberg, where he conducted the Bamberg Symphony. His recording with the Wiener Concert-Verein, made at Vienna’s Musikverein, was released by Solo Musica.

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

As Chief Conductor of the Nova Orchester Wien, Walker leads a Vienna-based orchestra of ninety musicians from more than thirty countries. Described by Die Presse as embodying a “visionary Viennese sound culture,” the orchestra performs regularly at the Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus. Its repertoire ranges from Bruckner, Mahler and Shostakovich to twentieth- and twenty-first-century works, including Austrian premieres. Under Walker’s leadership, Nova has collaborated with the International Bruckner Society during the Bruckner 200 celebrations and become a Cultural Partner of UNICEF Austria. In January 2027, he conducts Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony in the Großer Saal of the Musikverein in a concert presented by Jeunesse.

Walker studied conducting in Vienna and further developed his craft with Riccardo Muti, Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Jorma Panula and Michail Jurowski.

Before turning to conducting, Walker was active internationally as a cellist, performing as a chamber musician, orchestral musician and soloist, including solo recitals in North America, Europe and Asia. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London and with Richard Hirschl of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, participated in masterclasses with Natalia Gutman and Yo-Yo Ma, and performed under conductors including Riccardo Muti and Vladimir Jurowski.

Also a composer published by Universal Edition, Walker’s solo, chamber and orchestral works have been performed at the Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthaus and Palau de la Música Catalana, as well as in collaborations with dance ensembles at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Sarajevo Ballet Festival.

Updated 2026