Carlos Walker, a violist from St. Petersburg, Florida, is currently pursuing a degree in viola performance from the McDuffie Center for Strings. With chamber music being one of his most treasured passions, it makes sense that he found his love for the viola at a chamber music festival at the age of 17 while playing the famous string quartet by Samuel Barber. 

Since finding his voice, Carlos has had the pleasure of participating in NYO-USA, ENCORE chamber music institute, Amelia Island Chamber Festival, and had fellowships to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School as well as the Heifetz International Music Institute. In 2022, Carlos made his international debut at the Rome Chamber Music Festival performing in the Teatro Argentina in Rome, Italy. In this same year, Carlos won 1st Prize in the American Viola Society Collegiate Solo Competition. 

Carlos’ current teachers are Rebecca Albers and Victoria Chiang. He has played masterclasses for artists such as Dimitri Murrath, Ettore Causa and Hsin-Yun Huang. As a dedicated chamber musician, he’s had the pleasure of collaborating with artists such as Cho-liang Lin, Edward Aaron, Fabiola Kim, Amy Shwartz-Moretti and the Cavani Quartet.  

In 2023, Carlos and his quartet won 2nd prize in St. Paul String Quartet Competition and participated in the 2023 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Outside of performing, Carlos takes a strong interest in teaching, and has volunteered to give free lessons to students in need through an organization called Through the Staff.