Chris Walden
Encyclopedia
Chris Walden is a German
composer
, arranger, and conductor
living in the U.S.
He leads his own jazz big band
, the Chris Walden Big Band
, based in Los Angeles
and was nominated four times for a Grammy award
.
He is probably best known for writing big band and orchestral arrangement
s for recording artists such as Michael Bolton
, Christina Aguilera
, Jennifer Hudson
, Paul Anka
, and Christopher Cross
. He has been an arranger for "American Idol
" since 2007 and has worked for producers like David Foster
, Phil Ramone
, and Tommy LiPuma
.
He has composed the music for many films and TV shows in Germany as well as in the U.S. In Germany he is mostly known for having composed the music for the long-running TV-series "Dr. Stefan Frank".
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.
In 1991 he assisted Peter Herbolzheimer in orchestrating the music to the German feature film "Schtonk!
", which received an Oscar nomination in the category "Best Foreign Language Film
". This led to work as a composer for more feature films and many TV movies and series in Germany, and Walden quickly became an in demand film composer in Germany.
He served as the musical director for four years for the televised German Movie Award show "Deutscher Filmpreis
".
. There he scored TV movies for ABC
, CBS
, A&E
, the Hallmark Channel
, and the SciFi Channel
. He wrote arrangements for recording sessions of singers Christopher Cross
, Michael Bolton
, Renee Olstead
, Nancy Wilson, and Paul Anka
.
But even in Los Angeles, Walden kept on working occasionally for German TV or album projects, incl. Till Brönner
, Al Bano, and David Hasselhoff
.
In 1999 he founded his own big band, the Chris Walden Big Band
, which consists of Los Angeles based studio musicians
. With this band he recorded three albums, of which the first one garnered two Grammy nominations in 2005. The band frequently plays in and around Los Angeles.
As a conductor Walden led numerous symphony orchestras in concerts and recordings all over the world, including the New Mexico Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Columbus Symphony
, National Symphony, West Australian Philharmonic, Munich Symphony
, and the Slovak Radio Orchestra.
In 2007, during the 3-month strike of the Hollywood screenwriters
, Walden composed his first major concert work, "Symphony No.1 - The Four Elements". The recording with the Hollywood Studio Symphony
which Walden conducted earned two Grammy nominations in 2008.
In recent years Walden has been working as an arranger for "American Idol
" since 2007. He also arranged for TV appearances of Faith Hill
, Christina Aguilera
, Katie Holmes
, Aretha Franklin
, Yolanda Adams
, Melissa Etheridge
, and many more. In 2009 he arranged the National Anthem
for Jennifer Hudson's
performance at the Super Bowl XLIII
.
So far Walden's works encompass 40 feature and TV films, more than 100 episodes of TV series, and more than 1000 arrangements for big band or symphony orchestra.
Misc. Awards
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger, and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
living in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
He leads his own jazz big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, the Chris Walden Big Band
Chris Walden Big Band
The Chris Walden Big Band is a Grammy-nominated 18-piece jazz big band based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1999 by German composer/arranger Chris Walden...
, based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and was nominated four times for a Grammy award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
He is probably best known for writing big band and orchestral arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s for recording artists such as Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
, Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
, and Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
. He has been an arranger for "American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
" since 2007 and has worked for producers like David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone
Phil Ramone is a South-African violinist, composer, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:As a young child in South Africa, Ramone was a musical prodigy, beginning to play the violin at age three and performing for Queen Elizabeth II at age ten...
, and Tommy LiPuma
Tommy LiPuma
Tommy LiPuma is an American music producer. In his long career, he has worked with many musicians, including Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, Claudine Longet, Dave Mason, the Yellowjackets, Michael Franks, Diana Krall, and The Story...
.
He has composed the music for many films and TV shows in Germany as well as in the U.S. In Germany he is mostly known for having composed the music for the long-running TV-series "Dr. Stefan Frank".
Education
Chris Walden grew up in Hamburg, Germany where he learned to play the recorderRecorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
at age 5, the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at age 8, and the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
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
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany to study with trumpeters Jon Eardley
Jon Eardley
Jon Eardley was an American jazz trumpeter.Eardley first started on trumpet at the age of 11; his father had played in Paul Whiteman's orchestra. He played in an Air Force band in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1949, then played with his own quartet in D.C. from 1950 to 1953...
and Malte Burba and arranger Jerry van Rooyen at the Cologne University of Music
Hochschule für Musik Köln
The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...
. He graduated in 1994 with two Masters of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
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
Peter Herbolzheimer
Peter Herbolzheimer was a German jazz trombonist and bandleader.- Biography :Herbolzheimer was born in Bucharest and migrated from communist Romania to West Germany in 1951. In 1953 he moved to the United States of America, where he worked as a guitarist...
early on noticed Walden's interest in arranging and composing and became an important mentor for Walden.
Early career in Germany
Chris Walden started to work professionally as a musician in his teens playing the trumpet in dance bands on weekends while still attending high school in Hamburg. He received his first professional arranging assignments through his mentor Peter Herbolzheimer and after moving to Cologne he went on to write arrangements for many of the German radio big bands and radio symphony orchestras. He continued to play trumpet at various studio recordings and musical theater.In 1991 he assisted Peter Herbolzheimer in orchestrating the music to the German feature film "Schtonk!
Schtonk!
Schtonk! is a satirical German movie, retelling the hoax of the Hitler Diaries.Subtitled Der Film zum Buch vom Führer , the movie is a grotesque farce about the events when, in 1983, German Stern magazine began to publish, with great fanfare, the 60 volumes of the alleged diaries of Adolf Hitler...
", which received an Oscar nomination in the category "Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
". This led to work as a composer for more feature films and many TV movies and series in Germany, and Walden quickly became an in demand film composer in Germany.
He served as the musical director for four years for the televised German Movie Award show "Deutscher Filmpreis
Deutscher Filmpreis
The Deutscher Filmpreis is the highest German movie award. From 1951 to 2004 it was awarded by a commission, since 2005 the award has been given by the Deutsche Filmakademie...
".
Migrating to the U.S.
In 1996 at the age of 29 Chris Walden moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. There he scored TV movies for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
, the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
, and the SciFi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. He wrote arrangements for recording sessions of singers Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
, Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
, Renee Olstead
Renee Olstead
Rebecca Renee Olstead is an American actress and singer. Active since childhood as an actress, she is best known for her roles in the TV sitcoms Still Standing as Lauren Miller and The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Madison Cooperstein...
, Nancy Wilson, and Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
.
But even in Los Angeles, Walden kept on working occasionally for German TV or album projects, incl. Till Brönner
Till Brönner
Till Brönner is a German jazz musician, trumpet player, singer, composer, arranger and producer. He has a unique jazz approach influenced by bebop and fusion jazz, but also modern pop music, movie soundtracks , country music and even German pop songs...
, Al Bano, and David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
.
In 1999 he founded his own big band, the Chris Walden Big Band
Chris Walden Big Band
The Chris Walden Big Band is a Grammy-nominated 18-piece jazz big band based in Los Angeles, California, founded in 1999 by German composer/arranger Chris Walden...
, which consists of Los Angeles based studio musicians
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. With this band he recorded three albums, of which the first one garnered two Grammy nominations in 2005. The band frequently plays in and around Los Angeles.
As a conductor Walden led numerous symphony orchestras in concerts and recordings all over the world, including the New Mexico Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Columbus Symphony
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
The Columbus Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Columbus, Ohio. The oldest performing arts organization in the city, its home is the Ohio Theatre. The orchestra's current President and Chief Creative Officer is Roland Valliere...
, National Symphony, West Australian Philharmonic, Munich Symphony
Munich Symphony Orchestra
The Munich Symphony Orchestra is a German orchestra based in Munich. Kurt Graunke founded the orchestra as the Graunke Symphony Orchestra in 1945. The orchestra acquired its current name in 1990...
, and the Slovak Radio Orchestra.
In 2007, during the 3-month strike of the Hollywood screenwriters
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, Walden composed his first major concert work, "Symphony No.1 - The Four Elements". The recording with the Hollywood Studio Symphony
Hollywood Studio Symphony
The Hollywood Studio Symphony is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sucker Punch, Jurassic Park 3, Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean, We Are Marshall, Spider-Man 2, Lost and The...
which Walden conducted earned two Grammy nominations in 2008.
In recent years Walden has been working as an arranger for "American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
" since 2007. He also arranged for TV appearances of Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy- and Dove-award-winning Yolanda Adams is an American [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]- and [[Dove Awards|Dove]]-award-winning...
, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
, and many more. In 2009 he arranged the National Anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
for Jennifer Hudson's
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
performance at the Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
.
So far Walden's works encompass 40 feature and TV films, more than 100 episodes of TV series, and more than 1000 arrangements for big band or symphony orchestra.
Awards and nominations
Grammy nominations- Two nominations for Chris Walden Big Band: Home Of My Heart (2005)
- Two nominations for Chris Walden: Symphony No.1 - The Four Elements (2008)
Misc. Awards
- Ernst-Fischer-Prize (1993)
- Ernst-Fischer-Prize (1998)
- ASMACAmerican Society of Music Arrangers and ComposersThe American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers was founded in 1938. It welcomes all composers as either associate or full members.Members originally dubbed their group "The American Society of Music Arrangers" , the predecessor to ASMAC....
award (2007)
Discography
In addition to more than 100 albums for which Walden arranged, composed, and produced, the following are Walden's albums under his own name:- Chris Walden - Ticino (1995)
- Chris Walden Big Band - Home Of My Heart (2005)
- Chris Walden Big Band - No Bounds (2006)
- Chris Walden Big Band & St. John's Choir - Kurt Marti Suite (2007)
- Chris Walden - Symphony No.1, The Four Elements (2008)