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, the Philharmonia and the London Sinfonietta. In May 2012 he was appointed Co-Principal Percussion of the London Symphony Orchestra. Sam is also Principal Percussionist of the John Wilson Orchestra
As a chamber musician, Sam 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, the Gurzenich Orchester and the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra.
As a recording artist, Sam appears on many soundtracks for film and television, including the Harry Potter movies, the 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!
Sam is currently a teacher at the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall. He is also the percussion tutor for the European Union Youth Orchestra