Chris Walden

Grammy® nominated German composer/arranger CHRIS WALDEN has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and written arrangements for artists including Michael Bolton, David Foster, Paul Anka, Sheryl Crow, Christopher Cross, Nancy Wilson, Olivia Newton-John, David Hasselhoff and orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Philharmonic, Honolulu Pops, and many more. He orchestrated for Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall and John Pizzarelli.
His recent film credits include the feature film "The Pet", TV movies "Alien Siege", "Crimson Force", Gene Wilder's "The Lady in Question", and the CBS mini series "Blonde". Chris wrote arrangements for AMERICAN IDOL and has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and has recorded more than 80 CDs.
As an arranger and bandleader he has worked with jazz greats like Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Ernie Watts, Tierney Sutton, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, and many more.
Chris Walden started writing big band arrangements at the age of 16 for local high school bands. After graduating at 19 he joined the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra as a trumpet player. At the age of 21 he started writing arrangements for German radio big bands and radio symphony orchestras, while he was studying composition and arranging at the University of Cologne at the same time. As assistant to his mentor Peter Herbolzheimer Chris arranged music for the OSCAR® nominated film "Schtonk".
After getting his Masters degree 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 started composing for films and scored about 20 German films and wrote 400 arrangements for big band and symphony orchestra before he emigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 29.
Although Chris Walden learned arranging, composing and orchestrating the traditional way with pencil and paper, from early on he explored the possibilities of computers for sequencing and notation. That's why he always likes to orchestrate, program, and conduct his music himself.
Since 1999 Chris is leading his own big band recruited from top studio musicians based in Los Angeles. Chris is a board member of ASMAC (American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers.)
In 2006 Chris received two Grammy® nominations.