Five-time Grammy® nominated German-born composer/arranger/conductor CHRIS WALDEN has scored more than 40 feature and TV films, and has written more than a thousand orchestral and big band arrangements for artists including Diana Krall, Christina Aguilera, Michael Buble, Aretha Franklin, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Barbra Streisand, and orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops, and many more. He has worked closely with producers David Foster, Tommy LiPuma, and Phil Ramone.

He most recently wrote arrangements for the Academy Awards (Oscars) and he arranged the National Anthem for Jennifer Hudson's performance at the SUPER BOWL XLIII. His recent film credits as a composer include the feature film "King Of Herrings", TV movies "Alien Siege", "Crimson Force", Gene Wilder's "The Lady in Question", and the CBS mini series "Blonde". Since 2007 Walden has also been a principal arranger for "AMERICAN IDOL" and was an arranger for "THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno". He has been musical director on many TV shows and series, and has worked on more than 100 CDs. As an arranger and bandleader he has worked with jazz artists including Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Tierney Sutton, Arturo Sandoval, and the Count Basie Orchestra.

Chris Walden began writing compositions and arrangements at the age of 16 for local high school bands. After graduating at 19 he joined the German National Youth Jazz Orchestra as a trumpet player. At the age of 21 he started writing arrangements for German radio big bands and radio symphony orchestras, while he was studying composition and arranging at the University of Cologne. As assistant to his mentor Peter Herbolzheimer Walden arranged music for the OSCAR® nominated film "Schtonk".

After receiving two master's degrees in music Chris Walden conducted the RIAS Big Band in Berlin and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, served as musical director for the televised German Movie Award Show for four years and composed music for German films and TV before he emigrated to Los Angeles at the age of 29.

As a guest conductor he led the Dallas Symphony, National Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Nashville Symphony, West Australian Philharmonic, Munich Symphony, Slovak Radio Orchestra, South Korean Pops, and many more.

Although Chris Walden learned arranging, composing and orchestrating the traditional way with pencil and paper, from early on he explored the possibilities of computers for sequencing and notation. That's why he always likes to orchestrate, program, and conduct his music himself.

Since 1999 Chris is leading his own big band recruited from top studio musicians based in Los Angeles. Chris currently serves as trustee on the national board of the Recording Academy and he is the president of ASMAC (American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers.)