About Geoffrey Walker
I was born and raised in Edinburgh, some time back in the last century. For many years I showed no aptitude for music whatsoever. Some would say that trend was never reversed. While I did not allow late-onset music addiction to interfere with my cricket and golf, I did attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, part-time, to study violin and composition.
Shortly afterwards, I was awarded an academic scholarship to study at King's College Cambridge and, after graduation, gained a master's degree (composition, jazz and aesthetics) at Edinburgh University.
Subsequently, I underwent a couple of years of accountancy training with a large financial institution, then returned to King's to read for a PhD. I turned out not to be an apt research scholar, although it took several years to establish this beyond a doubt.
Continuing my lifestyle flip-flopping, I joined a small computer outfit and (when that ceased trading) I worked as a freelance musician until I was recruited by Signal Processors Ltd, an exciting hi-tech company located on the Cambridge Science Park. I worked there for nearly twenty years, rising to the giddy heights of Finance Director and acquiring the ACIS qualification en route. I was rescued from the need to slave for hire when a buy-out deal with a USA group provided the wherewithal for early retirement.
As a student I had composed fairly prolifically, especially for the stage. I was approached by two media companies, but I didn't see my future as a television composer.
During the long business years, although I did little composing, I served as Musical Director of the Cambridge Sinfonietta and leader of the Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra. Anxious to improve my fluent-but-clumsy piano playing, I studied privately with Philip Mead and gained an ALCM performing diploma.
I returned to composing a few years ago and have found the growing level of interest in my music both rewarding and stimulating. I write, these days, in a tonal - often light - style and enjoy composing for unusual ensembles and mixed-ability groups. My work has recently been performed in Scotland, England, Wales and South America. Come on Ireland, you're falling behind!