Texas Tech University

Kim Walker

Professor of Music

Email: kim.walker@ttu.edu

Kim Walker

Kim Walker studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Geneva Conservatory, and the Basel Schola Cantorum before embarking on a solo career that she still enjoys. She brings 30 years of international performance experience as a soloist and chamber musician on six continents as well as an orchestral background performing as 1st bassoon with some of Europe's leading orchestras: London Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and RAI Torino, among others. In 1982, her Wigmore Hall debut "outclassed many an operatic rival" and in 1985 she was invited to perform 1st bassoon in the London Symphony Orchestra. Leonard Bernstein, Sir Georg Solti, Antal Dorati, and Charles Dutoit are some of the main conductors with whom Kim worked in Europe. She has performed as a soloist with leading orchestras such as the London Philharmonia, the Royal Philharmonic, the BBC London, RIAS Berlin, to name just a few, and as a regular guest artist at festivals such as Marlboro, Prades, Schleswig-Holstein, and the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society. Kim is also a celebrated recording artist with close to 33 (solo and chamber music) CDs for DECCA, GalloVDE, and other labels.

In 1994, Kim Walker was invited to join Indiana University as a Professor of Music. She served both as Professor of Music and as Associate Dean of Research for the Arts & Humanities, as Associate Dean for the Vice-Chancellor, as Dean for the Vice-Chancellor, and Dean of the Faculties, and ultimately she served in the President's Office as Director of Arts & Cultural Outreach. In 2004, the University of Sydney recruited her to serve as Professor of Music, Dean of the Conservatorium of Music and in 2007 her contract expanded to serve as Cultural Ambassador for the University of Sydney. While in Sydney, Walker grew the endowment significantly, increased high-quality international recruitment, established an ongoing research incentive program, and authored agreements with institutions in leading programs in Europe, Asia, and the USA (Salzburg Mozarteum, Royal College of Music, Juilliard School of Music, Beijing CCM, Shanghai Conservatory). Community engagement was a key focus, including collaborations with Sydney's leading ensembles, poets, sculptors, artists, and dancers. She also built support to tour the student ensembles across Asia, Europe, and the USA for World Expo, Beijing Olympics and to perform alongside peer institutions.

Kim and the Dean of Medicine established the world-first Music and Medicine UG/MM degree program in 2007. During her first year, Kim welcomed the Arts Faculty Music Department's amalgamation with the Conservatorium of Music. The revised curriculum attracts students from 45 other university degree programs to experience and study music. Kim also taught the "Science of Strategy and the Art of Leadership" for eight years as part of the Global EMBA "Executive MBA" program held at the University of Sydney.

Kim Walker is the founder of the Virtuoso CEO Organization (VCEO) and a Guest Professor in Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music. She is an internationally best-selling author for her "Resilience2Brilliance" in "Elevate Your Success," and an in-demand speaker on "The Virtuoso Factor." IU Press published her "Spirited Wind Playing," which has received critical acclaim across Europe, Asia, and the USA; Peter Schoenbach, former Dean of the Curtis Institute of Music, and son of her teacher Dr. Sol Schoenbach wrote the foreword. Her latest book "INSPIRE" is anticipated to be published late in 2020. She was Director of the School of Music at TTU from 2018 to 2020.  Her upcoming concerts for 2021 include concertos and masterclasses in the USA, Germany, South America, and China. She chairs and presents at major conferences for business schools, leadership in higher education conferences, women in leadership, Museum Conferences, and performing arts keynotes.