Shimon Walt is the Assistant Principal Cellist of Symphony Nova Scotia. Since his arrival to Nova Scotia in 1976 he has been an integral part of the province’s musical life. Whether on concert stages with Symphony Nova Scotia, 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. Shimon is also one of the founding members of Symphony Nova Scotia.
After the demise of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, he was appointed by the Nova Scotia government to a steering committee entrusted with rebuilding symphonic life in Nova Scotia. Shimon was Symphony Nova Scotia’s first Personnel Manager, a position he held for six years. Mr. Walt 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. Today he shares his time between Symphony Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University and operating Walt Music.
Shimon Walt is 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.