A multi-faceted artist with a ferocious appetite for repertoire, Adam Walker is an outstanding ambassador for his instrument, committed to bringing the flute to new audiences in settings ranging from solo recitals through to large-scale orchestral works. With a curious and creative approach to programming, his interests range from lesser-known French Baroque repertoire through to new music by composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Gabriela Ortíz and Lotta Wennäkoski.

Walker has demonstrated the flute as a powerful solo instrument, performing with leading UK orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, BBC NOW, The Hallé, BBC Scottish Symphony, London Symphony and Ulster Orchestras, and Sinfonia of London, as well as internationally with Bergen and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestras and RTÉ National, Baltimore and Seattle Symphony Orchestras. He regularly collaborates with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Ed Gardner, Ilan Volkov and Matthew Halls.

A committed and dedicated chamber musician, Walker’s open and collaborative style has led to partnerships with artists such as Tabea Zimmermann, Timothy Ridout, Anneleen Lenaerts, Sean Shibe, Cédric Tiberghien, Angela Hewitt and Mahan Esfahani at prestigious venues and festivals including Wigmore Hall, LSO St Luke’s, De Singel Antwerp, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Beethovenfest Bonn and Elbphilharmonie. His commitment to chamber music is further exemplified by his founding of the Orsino Ensemble in 2018, an initiative aimed at showcasing the depth and versatility of wind chamber repertoire.

A thoughtful and inventive curator, Walker served as Artistic Director of Leeds International Chamber Series in the 2023/24 season. Through a carefully curated series of concerts mining the riches of the Golden Age of the flute, he explored wider connections with France and beyond, through works by composers ranging from Poulenc, Jolivet and Boulanger through to Thomas Adès, Judith Weir and Tamsin Waley-Cohen.

His commitment to contemporary music is evident in the world premieres he has performed, including concertos by Brett Dean, Kevin Puts and Huw Watkins. He is also a passionate advocate for the music of Kaija Saariaho, John Corigliano and Mieczysław Weinberg, ensuring that these modern voices are heard alongside the classical canon. Walker already has a substantial discography and has been an exclusive Chandos recording artist since 2021. His most recent release, in 2024, was the Nielsen Concerto with Bergen Philharmonic and Ed Gardner, and he featured on the 2020 Carnival of the Animals recording with the Kanneh-Mason family. Future releases for Chandos include Weinberg concertos.

Walker studied at Chetham’s School of Music with Gitte Sorensen and at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Cox, graduating with distinction in 2009 and winning the HRH Princess Alice Prize for exemplary studentship. He is also an alumnus of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s prestigious Bowers Program.

He was appointed principal flute of the London Symphony Orchestra at the age of just 21, a position he held until 2020. His many awards include Outstanding Young Artist Award at MIDEM Classique as well as a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship. He was appointed professor at the Royal College of Music in 2017 and he has held the position of Professor of Flute at the Bern Academy of the Arts since 2022.