David Walther

David Walther began playing the violin on his sixth birthday. His mother coached him at this age, and he took lessons from Geneveve Osbourne. His other two principal violin teachers were Marylou Speaker-Churchill and Sophie Vilker. At age seventeen Walther began studying the viola with John Ziarko. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USC under the tutelage of Donald McInnes. Walther attended many summer festivals during his formative years, including Weathersfield, where he studied with Roland Vamos, Greenwood, Spoleto (Italy), and the Music Academy of the West.

Upon graduating from college in 1999, Walther joined the Debussy Trio and soon after became a founding member of the New Hollywood String Quartet. Both groups are critically acclaimed and have toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States. Apart from being a chamber musician, Walther works as a studio musician in the motion picture industry.

The Los Angeles Times commented on a recent concerto performance: “Walther, a violist of abundant technical virtuosity and musical panache, illuminated the work’s provocative personality, and his rich tone, in sound hues comparable to Belgian chocolate, made the experience complete.” The Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote concerning a separate concerto performance: “David Walther made an especially good impression with his large, burnished tone and handsomely molded legato.”