Nicholas Walker
Professor of Music
Bio
Nicholas Walker is a Double Bassist, Professor of Music at the University of Michigan, a Fulbright Scholar, and Past-President of the International Society of Bassists, whom he has also served as Artistic Director and Convention Host. Mr. Walker has diplomas from Rice University, the Nadia Boulanger Conservatoire de Paris, and Stony Brook University, where he earned his Doctorate in 2004.
Performer
Mr. Walker is an accomplished musician who brings a broad range of training and experience to the double bass: orchestral, solo, chamber, social music, contemporary and early music. His enthusiasm and aptitude transcend arbitrary musical boundaries, and his exuberant and versatile performances have made him a sought-after performer in many genres.
Mr. Walker is serving as principal bass of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and frequently performs with The Knights Orchestra of NYC, A Far Cry in Boston. He has performed with the Oslo Philharmonic, National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada, Handel & Haydn Society Orchestra, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Phoenix Orchestra, and exposed new music with Steve Stucky’s Ensemble X, and Ardesco. Walker has been featured on two dozen CDs, motion picture soundtracks, and has been heard on NPR’s Performance Today. In addition, Walker is an inventive composer, who features the bass in solo, chamber music, and improvisational contexts.
Educator
Professor Walker is dedicated to training the whole human, nurturing student artistic success through skills in organization, self-actualization, wellness, and community connection. Before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan in 2021, he taught at Ithaca College for sixteen years and has taught at the renowned double bass academy at Domaine Forget, Quebec since 1998.
He has a track record of student success: former students have earned positions in many capacities around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Symphony, New World Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and others.
Professor Walker’s passion for educating students in the art and practice of music is fueled by the conviction that music can elevate the human condition and build meaningful bridges between individuals and groups of people – that music ignites the empathy sectors in the brain, which in turn releases oxytocin, building intimacy, and leading humans to compassion, morality, and love.
