Chris Walden
| Chris Walden | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 10, 1966 Hamburg, Germany |
| Genres | Jazz, classical, film |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, conductor, arranger, composer |
| Instruments | Trumpet, piano |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Origin, Edel |
| Associated acts | Chris Walden Big Band |
| Website | www |
Chris Walden (born October 10, 1966 in Hamburg, Germany) is a German composer, arranger, and conductor living in the U.S. He leads the Chris Walden Big Band, and was nominated six times for a Grammy Award.
He has written big band and orchestral arrangements for Michael Bublé, Diana Krall, Jennifer Hudson, Paul Anka, and Christopher Cross. He has been an arranger for the TV series American Idol since 2007 and has worked for record producers David Foster,Phil Ramone, and Tommy LiPuma. Walden has composed for films and TV in Germany, including the long-running TV-series Dr. Stefan Frank.
Chris Walden grew up in Hamburg, Germany where he learned to play the recorder at age 5, the piano at age 8, and the trumpet at age 13, which then became his main instrument. He started writing arrangements for local school big bands at age 16. He graduated from high school at age 19 and went on to study popular music at the Music Academy in Hamburg. At age 21 he moved to Cologne, Germany to study with trumpeters Jon Eardley and Malte Burba and arranger Jerry van Rooyen at the Cologne University of Music. He graduated in 1994 with two Masters of Music in trumpet and composition/arrangement.
In 1987 he joined the then newly formed German National Youth Jazz Orchestra (BuJazzO) as a trumpet player. Its leader Peter Herbolzheimer early on noticed Walden's interest in arranging and composing and became an important mentor for Walden.
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