James Walker (conductor)

James Walker (9 April 1912 – 20 August 1988) was an Australian musician known both as a conductor of ballet and opera and as a recording producer supervising classical recording sessions.

As a conductor Walker was musical director of the International Ballet company from 1947 to 1953 and of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1968 to 1971 in succession to Isidore Godfrey. For D'Oyly Carte he supervised and sometimes conducted recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Before and after his years with D'Oyly Carte Walker was a producer for Decca Records, working with a large number of international artists including Benjamin Britten, Pierre Monteux, Renata Tebaldi, Herbert von Karajan and Vladimir Ashkenazy. Many of the 1950s and 1960s recordings produced by Walker have been transferred to CD and remain in the catalogues.

Walker was born in Ashfield, New South Wales. His musical talent became clear at an early age; when he was seven The Sydney Morning Herald printed an article headed "Child Wonder at Ashfield" reporting on a recital at which he performed on piano organ and violin. He was educated at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and then at the Royal Academy of Music in London where some of his compositions were given public performances. At an Academy concert he played a movement of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto under the baton of Sir Henry Wood, and was judged by The Musical Times to show great promise. By 1935, towards the end of his studies at the Academy, he had received three commendations for his piano performances and one for his quick study.

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