Nathan Walker grew up in a household filled with music and was exposed to choir music at a young age. With an organist/pianist mother and a father who played drums for beach music bands, the musical influences ranged from classic hymns to classic oldies. Band music was his world throughout grade school, arranging pop music for his school’s marching band as well as original works for instrumental ensembles.

Vocal music wasn’t always his fancy. Once at East Carolina University (ECU) as an undergraduate, studying saxophone as a Music Education major, a random solo in a voice methods class for non-singers prompted encouragement to join a men’s chorus. His first solo in that men’s chorus introduced him to a voice professor, John Kramar, and the shift to voice began. From there, a musical door was opened to an entirely new world of choir music and his life would never be the same. Voice lessons, choral ensembles, piano lessons, and opera performances sums up a whirlwind of an undergraduate experience for him.

Through East Carolina University’s avid support of new music and composition students, championed by Nathan’s composition professor, Dr. Ed Jacobs, Nathan and other young composers were able to write new works for choir and have them read live under the baton of Dr. Daniel Bara. His first foray into writing music for choir, Nathan was hooked from there. His first choral performance of After Death (SSA), was premiered the next year (2009), followed by the ECU Chamber Singers performing Leaves, along with performances by the North Carolina Master Chorale. His first setting of E.E. Cummings, who are you little i, was premiered by the ECU Choral Scholars the following year. Two of his Choral Miniatures on Sara Teasdale, a collection of short works based on Teasdale’s poetry, were also premiered by the ECU Chamber Singers with Nathan conducting. His studies at ECU culminated with him conducting his Song of the Open Road at the 2011 ECU School of Music graduation ceremony.

From there, he pursued graduate studies at Louisiana State University (LSU), studying opera, conducting, and piano as a Masters student in Choral Conducting. Similar to his time at ECU, Nathan was blessed by many opportunities to grow and learn, which included opera roles, countless choir performances, conducting local musical theater productions, and premiering The Roving Lover at his graduate conducting recital. As a pianist, he had a blast directing and playing keyboard for musicals including Grease, 9 to 5, and Les Miserables.

An avid reader, inspired and driven by a love of poetry, Nathan works diligently to keep the author’s text at the forefront of his works; aiming to create music that serves as a vehicle for delivering the text in an expressive way. His favorite poets continue to be Sara Teasdale, E.E. Cummings, and Walt Whitman.

Nathan lives with his family in Ohio, USA.