Shimon Walt
Shimon Walt is one of the founding members of Symphony Nova Scotia and served as its Assistant Principal Cellist for over 45 years. Since his arrival to Nova Scotia in 1976, he has been an integral part of the province’s musical life. Whether on concert stages, in solo recitals or in chamber music concerts, or teaching in the classrooms of Dalhousie University, he is totally dedicated to the art of music.
After the demise of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Shimon was appointed by the Nova Scotia government to a steering committee entrusted with rebuilding symphonic life in Nova Scotia. He was Symphony Nova Scotia’s first Personnel Manager, a position he held for six years. Shimon was educated in Tel Aviv and Boston, where his principal teachers were Uzi Wiezel and George Neikrug. He has performed with major orchestras under such noted conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta and Pablo Casals.
Shimon is also known as a dedicated teacher, and many of his students have gone on to professional musical careers. He has been a provincial adjudicator for the Kiwanis Music Festivals in Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, and served on national juries for FACTOR (the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record) and the Canada Council for the Arts.
In addition to teaching and running Walt Music, Shimon is actively involved with Concerts in Care, a non-profit organization that brings live music to people in residential care settings (e.g., long-term care homes, hospitals, or group homes.)