William Ian William Ian Walker

W. Ian Walker, Baritone Soloist, Conductor & Author
Music & Arts Administration Biography

W. Ian Walker has been active in choral music for over fifty years. As a young boy soprano to baritone soloist, Ian has sung with the Hamilton Mennonite Children’s Choir, The Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, London Pro Musica, The Faculty of Music Singers, University of Western Ontario, and the Orpheus Choir of Toronto. In 2006, Ian established his choir as Founder and Music Director, with “The Youth Choir for the Nations” in Mississauga, ON, Canada

Mr. Walker is an alumnus of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, (BUTI), Young Artist Vocal Program and was awarded a summer scholarship to the program. From the 1980s to the 2000s, Mr. Walker has performed in voice recitals and varied musical theatre productions. Mr. Walker has his B.A. in Theatre and Film from McMaster University and his master's certificate from the Fundraising Management Program of Humber College, Toronto.

During the 1980-the 2000s, Ian became interested in Arts Administration. He worked as an apprentice administrator with the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, Orchestra London Canada, and later as a choral arts administrator with The Orpheus Choir of Toronto, (with Robert Cooper). In 2001, Ian worked on a contract with the Elmer Iseler Singers helping to develop their education series and working with their donor and ongoing foundation support grants.

Ian is also a recipient of a scholarship to the Banff School of Management, Arts Administration program and in 2010 was awarded the “Centennial Award” from McMaster University. In 2006, Ian started his own business Emlian Communications Group, which has managed major artistic and special events in Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario.

Having dealt with ADHD all of his life, Ian 2008 began writing his autobiography titled “Stirring My Soul to Sing, Overcoming ADHD Through Song” (published by Word Alive Press, 2018) the book is now in 44 international bookstores and websites. In 2020, Mr. Walker became involved with ADDA (Attention Deficit Disorder Association) in both Canada and the USA. He is an active member hosting a “seniors weekly zoom chat” and was a speaker at the international online conference in November 2020.

In 2021, Walker was encouraged by his theatre friends to write a play based on his book, in 2022 Walker is soon to give a "world premiere" of his play "Stirring My Soul to Sing! The play discusses issues of art therapy, bullying, shaming, and dealing with good to bad family relationships, with three "Ian" ("Young Ian, Twenties to Thirties Ian and Older Ian") sharing various perspectives from youth to maturity with ADHD. Check out our website for locations and ticket information about the play at www.emliancommunications.org.

Mr. Walker has developed a motto which is “music vs medicine.” Ian is in demand, speaking about his journey with ADHD, singing at book signing events, and educating national or international audiences that there are alternatives to using music therapy instead of medicine with one’s ADHD, at any age.