Coming from the near of Stuttgart in Germany, Valerie Teresa Walter got her first flute at the age of nine. Flute playing became more and more an essential part in her life: already very early she joined several chamber music ensembles and youth orchestras – experiencing both: working in ensembles and orchestras together with other musicians or standing in front as a soloist.
Being awarded with several prizes during her youth and after graduating from high school, she started her bachelor studies at the Robert-Schumann-Hochschule für Musik in Düsseldorf in the flute class of Prof. Evelin Degen. Supplementary to the flute she also focused on the piccolo flute, chamber music, pedagogy and conducting.
Simultaneously she passed her training as a military musician in the German Army also in Düsseldorf. Playing the solo flute, piccolo and also alto flute in the big wind orchestra of the education centre for this professional training called “Ausbildungsmusikkorps der Bundeswehr” as well as playing in various chamber music ensembles, Valerie completed both – her “Bachelor of Music” and the professional training as a military musician with best possible results.
Being always ambitious to develop her musical skills, Valerie already attended several masterclasses for flute for example with Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, Yossi Arnheim, Gareth Davies, Robert Dick, Paul Edmund-Davies, Christina Fassbender, Michael Faust, Davide Formisano, Anna Garzuly, Anne-Cathérine Heinzmann and Juliette Hurel as well as masterclasses for piccolo with Nicola Mazzanti, Gudrun Hinze, Jürgen Franz and Thaddeus Watson.
Valerie has received numerous scholarships and awards, including for example a “Mancke Piccolo Headjoint Award” at the Galway Flute Festival 2016 in Switzerland, the first prize at the “2020 Syrinx Flute Competition” during the eFlute Festival hosted by the Flute School of London and the prestigious “Sir James Galway Rising Star Award 2020”.
2014 she was appointed Principal Flute in the “Heeresmusikkorps Veitshöchheim” near Würzburg. Furthermore, she re-established and leads the orchestra’s woodwind quintet.
Playing either with the orchestra, her woodwind quintet or other ensembles as soloist or instrumentalist, Valerie performed recitals of course in Germany but also all over the world for instance in the Netherlands, Georgia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Republic of Moldova, Austria, Italy, United Kingdom or France.
Besides her activity as flutist and orchestral musician, Valerie teaches her own flute class where she is absolutely passionate about sharing the love of flute playing with her students.
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