Chris Walden(I)
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Seven-time Grammy nominated German-born composer/arranger/conductor
Chris Walden has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and written
arrangements for artists including
Christina Aguilera,
Faith Hill,
Michael Bolton,
Aretha Franklin,
David Foster,
Paul Anka,
Barbra Streisand,
Diana Krall,
Christopher Cross, and
orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and many more. He has orchestrated for
In 2009 he arranged the National Anthem for Jennifer Hudson's
performance at the
Super Bowl XLIII (2009).
Since 2007 Walden has also been a principal arranger for "American
Idol". He has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and
has worked on more than 100 CDs. As an arranger and band leader he has
worked with jazz artists including Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine,
Ernie Watts, Tierney Sutton, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, among
others.
Chris Walden was born on October 10th, 1966 in Hamburg as the son of a
Swiss soprano. Chris got in contact with music through the many
musicians who came to his parent's house from very early on. At the age
of 3 he started to play the recorder, and at age 5 he knew how to read
music even before he learned the alphabet. Then at age 7 he learned to
play the piano and the trumpet at age 13, which then became his main
instrument. In his high school years Chris discovered jazz and big band
music while playing trumpet in local school bands. Very soon he started
to write arrangements for those bands. After graduating from high
school and 20 months of service, he was chosen out of many applicants
to join the newly founded German National Youth Jazz Orchestra with
which he toured for five years. The leader Peter Herbolzheimer
additionally encouraged him to write arrangements for the band and soon
he assisted him with arrangements for various radio and record
productions. As assistant to his mentor Herbolzheimer, Walden arranged
music for the Oscar nominated film
Schtonk (1992).
After receiving two master's degrees in music Chris Walden conducted
the RIAS Big Band in Berlin and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, served as
musical director for the televised German Movie Award Show for four
years and began composing for films and scored about 20 German films
and wrote 400 arrangements for big band and symphony orchestra before
emigrating to Los Angeles at the age of 29.
Chris Walden has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and written
arrangements for artists including
Christina Aguilera,
Faith Hill,
Michael Bolton,
Aretha Franklin,
David Foster,
Paul Anka,
Barbra Streisand,
Diana Krall,
Christopher Cross, and
orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles
Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and many more. He has orchestrated for
In 2009 he arranged the National Anthem for Jennifer Hudson's
performance at the
Super Bowl XLIII (2009).
Since 2007 Walden has also been a principal arranger for "American
Idol". He has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and
has worked on more than 100 CDs. As an arranger and band leader he has
worked with jazz artists including Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine,
Ernie Watts, Tierney Sutton, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, among
others.
Chris Walden was born on October 10th, 1966 in Hamburg as the son of a
Swiss soprano. Chris got in contact with music through the many
musicians who came to his parent's house from very early on. At the age
of 3 he started to play the recorder, and at age 5 he knew how to read
music even before he learned the alphabet. Then at age 7 he learned to
play the piano and the trumpet at age 13, which then became his main
instrument. In his high school years Chris discovered jazz and big band
music while playing trumpet in local school bands. Very soon he started
to write arrangements for those bands. After graduating from high
school and 20 months of service, he was chosen out of many applicants
to join the newly founded German National Youth Jazz Orchestra with
which he toured for five years. The leader Peter Herbolzheimer
additionally encouraged him to write arrangements for the band and soon
he assisted him with arrangements for various radio and record
productions. As assistant to his mentor Herbolzheimer, Walden arranged
music for the Oscar nominated film
Schtonk (1992).
After receiving two master's degrees in music Chris Walden conducted
the RIAS Big Band in Berlin and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, served as
musical director for the televised German Movie Award Show for four
years and began composing for films and scored about 20 German films
and wrote 400 arrangements for big band and symphony orchestra before
emigrating to Los Angeles at the age of 29.