Kim Walker is a bassoonist of Scottish/American origins, who graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 1975, receiving the Young Artist Award, a Presidential National Merit Scholarship award and academic distinctions. She then studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, with Dr Sol Schoenbach and later studied with Roger Birnstingl in Europe where in 1979 at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve she achieved their highest award - “Premier Prix de Virtuosite”. She furthered her studies on period instruments, working with Walter Stiftner at the Scuola Cantorum Basel, 1982-83. In 2002 she attended the ENPL (Executive Non-Profit Leadership) course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and in 2009 the AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors) company director’s course.
Walker has performed throughout Europe and the US, and also in China, and been particularly prominent at leading Music Festivals such as Ravinia, Wolf Trap, Marlboro, Mostly Mozart in the USA, Prades, Luzern, Korsholm, Schleswig-Holstein and London Proms in Europe. As a soloist she has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Royal Philharmonic, the London Mozart Players, Berlin RIAS orchestra, Wurttemburgishes Kammerorchestra, l’Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, and many other orchestras under the batons of : Oliver Knussen, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Richard Hickox, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jane Glover, Arvo Volmer and others. Her solo career began at Interlochen Arts Academy where in her teens she performed Gordon Jacob’s concerto as well as a televised premiere of the Michal Spisak Concerto for solo bassoon in 1974 and 1975. Her benchmark recital at the Wigmore Hall in 1982 featuring the world premeire of the bassoon version of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s In Freundschaft set her career apart and was hailed by critics; The London Times wrote: “She outclassed many an operatic rival”. As a chamber musician she was a founder and member of the ‘Queens of the Night’ Bassoon quartet, the Fidelio wind ensemble in Geneva, and has performed regularly with the leading musicians in Europe at the Prades Festival, Korsholm festival, and at the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. She has collaborated with the Guarneri quartet, the Ensemble Contrechamps, Menahem Pressler, Richard Tognetti, Dimitri Sitkovetsky, Sergei Stadler, Michel Lethiec, Gerard Willems, Maurice Bourgue, Aurele Nicolet, David Schiffrin, Edgar Meyer and many other leading musicians. In 1994 she began an association with the pianist Leonard Hokanson, which culminated in his final recording in 2004. While at Indiana University she studied jazz under David Baker who wrote for her, the Blues Trilogy for solo bassoon, electric Bass guitar (JB Dyas, director of Thelonius Monk Institute) orchestra and light percussion. Her bassoon quartet ‘Queens of the Night’ specialized in “crossover” and VIP programs and was a featured event at the MIDEM festival in Cannes France(year). In England and Europe she spent a decade performing classical and baroque bassoons in many period ensembles. Walker’s solo career has spanned five continents: Asia, America, Europe, Australia and Africa. She has recorded more than 31 CDs of distinction as soloist and chamber musician, many of which have won awards and critical acclaim. In 2011 she will undertake performance tours to Scandinavia, South America and across Asia. Additionally, she was a member of the Bern Symphony Orchestra 1979 (Charles Dutoit), the Biel Symphony Orchestra 1979- 1985 (Gregorz Nowak) and RAI Torino, 1983. Walker also freelanced as guest principal bassoon with the Montreal Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, l’Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, and l’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, under the batons of: Leonard Bernstein, Antal Dorati, Sir George Solti, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Richard Hickox, Lorin Maazel, Armin Jordan, Ivan Fischer, Adam Fischer, Fruhbeck de Burgos, David Shallon, Jesus Lopez-Corbos and many others. Teaching Career In 1980 Walker began teaching at the Conservatoire de Musique de Geneve and has been invited to teach regularly at the most prestigious institutions across Europe, Asia and the USA. In 1990 she joined the Lausanne Conservatoire. In 1994 the prestigious Indiana University School of Music invited her to join as Professor of Bassoon. In 1997 she received full tenure. Since 1982 Kim has given masterclasses at many of the world’s most eminent institutions. Many of her students have risen to become principal players in their own right; master teachers and award winning colleagues around the world, (USA, Europe, Asia, South America, Australia).
Professor Walker has served as an adjudicator in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia. She is currently an AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors) member and serves on the Federal Board of the AMEB (Australian Music Examination Board). She was elected to the Federal CHASS (Council for Humanities and Social Sciences) board 2006-08, and served on the Corporation for Cultural Improvements and Attractions, City of Bloomington 2003-04; Board of Directors for Indiana University Press 2002-04; Board of Directors for Indiana University Foundation 2002-04.
Speaker and Scholar Professor Walker has delivered two major public lectures series at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and captivated public acclaim with a full repeat series - “If Music be the Food of Love” in 2006 and “Great Minds” in 2008. She speaks regularly for Executive Programs and the University of Sydney EMBA program on Strategic and Improvisational Leadership.
As an entrepreneur, she has raised unparalleled amounts of benefaction for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to increase student scholarships from $240,000 in 2004 to close to $3 million in 2010 through the Conservatorium and affiliated sources. Benefaction to endow faculty positions , fund international tours (to major musical centres of Europe, Asia, USA with the major ensembles), establish the early music instrument collection, and commission 101 new works of diverse genres to celebrate the Centenary in 2015. The international collaborations provide educational opportunities for staff and students while the commissioning project brings leading composers from around the world to Sydney, and taking Australia around the world. In the end of 2011 it is anticipated that close to $65million will have been raised (inclusive of signed pledges) during her tenure as Dean and Principal at the SCM, encompassing several endowed Chairs, tour initiatives and scholarships. Additionally Professor Walker’s personal connections with leading major artists has allowed for generous loans and donations of world-class art and calligraphy to be on display.
Boards: Professor Walker initiated a Board of Advice drawing on industry leaders from across Australia, USA, Europe and Asia. Several members have served two terms and all remain actively involved. Additionally, to focus on fundraising for the future Professor Walker reinvigorated the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Foundation setting up the formal terms of reference, Rules for the Foundation, legal oversight and full alignment with the University Senate. Recruiting members for the Foundation Council and significantly increasing their donor base she will leave the Conservatorium in a position of far greater resources than when she arrived in Australia.
External links: www.kimwalker.com.au; You Tubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm5MskbxFkQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVXw4Htr8C0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdrTKYDgISQ http://sydney.edu.au/music/docs/PUB_MKG_CON_Tribute_Issue_3.pdf http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=6675
studied with Roger Birnstingl at the Geneva Conservatory. Following a career performing internationally, she became involved in education. After 10 years at Indiana University, Walker became Dean of Music at Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2004.[1]
Professor Walker's career as a bassoonist is well documented with a catalogue of well over 23 solo recordings available.[2] She continues to perform especially in Asia.[3]
In 2007 Kim Walker was accused of plagiarism. After a thorough investigation the University found there was no case to answer and exonerated Walker. In late 2009 she was accused of having misrepresented her qualifications. University inquiries found there had been "no intention to mislead", and cleared Walker.[4] The Vice-Chancellor corrected the article with a letter to the Editor further clarifying that Walker had not misrepresented her qualifications. The same known and yet anonymous group of individuals continue to try to smear the reputation of Kim Walker as they have tried to do over the past five years. The university has spent large sums of money on these investigations with lawyers, Barristers and retired Supreme Court judges to review the issues. On every count Walker has been cleared yet the same individuals use any situation, including this page of wikipedia, to try to restate the allegations which are unfounded. Despite these distractions Professor Walker has raised academic and artistic standards to levels, brought forward international relationships for the students and staff, raised large sums of benefaction, championed research schemes across the faculty and brought forward unparalleled performance opportunities for staff and students and forged strong links with the professional artists in Australia. She continues to teach, perform and offer masterclasses around the world.