Robert Walker

Robert Walker was appointed Associate Principal/E-flat Clarinet of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2025.

Before joining the SLSO, Walker was Principal Clarinet of the Pacific Symphony and formerly the Second/E-flat Clarinetist of the Louisville Orchestra. He has also held temporary principal posts with the Grant Park Orchestra and the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra and made guest appearances with the symphony orchestras of Cleveland, Nashville, and Sarasota.

As an educator, Walker teaches privately and has served as the Valade Fellow at Interlochen Arts Camp.

Before becoming a full-time musician, Walker worked a series of odd jobs that left an indelible mark. These include employment as an elevator operator, an orchestral librarian, an assistant to a Hollywood film composer, a florist, an apprentice groundskeeper, an archivist, and a box office associate (at the SLSO). Each of these experiences has informed his work ethic, his performances, and—most importantly—his perspective on the reach and relevance of symphonic music in contemporary culture.

His primary teachers have been Yehuda Gilad at the University of Southern California and Alan Kay at the Juilliard School. Other crucial musical guides along the way include Nathan Williams, Burt Hara, Joaquin Valdepenas, and Charles Neidich.

Walker’s hobbies include composition, journaling, reading, biking (when he has time), traveling (the arrival part), rewatching prestige TV shows of the early 2000s, and singing Dadaist chansons to his cats.

He is originally from Queens, New York.