Sam Walton was a concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musicians competition in 1996 and bronze medal winner in the Shell/LSO Competition the same year, before embarking upon his studies at the Royal Academy of Music.
He has worked with many of the UK’s orchestras including the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Philharmonia and London Sinfonietta. In May 2012 he was appointed Co-Principal Percussion of the London Symphony Orchestra. Walton is also Principal Percussionist of the John Wilson Orchestra.
As a chamber musician, he is a member of the Colin Currie Group; has performed with violinist Viktoria Mullova; and pianists Martha Argerich, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Cedric Tiberghien. He can be heard on numerous discs of repertoire by Reich and Bartok. He is also a member of the LSO Percussion Ensemble.
Solo appearances include concerto performances with the Orquesta de Castilla Y Leon, Gurzenich Orchester and Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra.
As a recording artist, Walton appears on many soundtracks for film and television, including the Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings, the Twilight Saga and Antman. He can be heard on albums by Seth Macfarlane and Gregory Porter. He also has been the percussionist for Howard Blake’s The Snowman stage show for 20 years!
Walton is currently a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and Guildhall. He is also the percussion tutor for the European Union Youth Orchestra.