Where They’re Headed: Samuel Walter ’17

The music major and political science minor will be attending the Yale School of Music this fall.

Samuel Walter ’17 will continue his musical education this fall at the Yale School of Music. The Haverford music major and political science minor from Wayne, Pa., has earned the Stephen and Denise Adams Scholarship and will be pursuing a master’s degree. The cellist will also be giving private music lessons in New Haven through the university’s Music in the Schools initiative.

Alongside academic coursework at the university, Walter hopes to hone his musical skills by preparing for performances, giving recitals, and devoting time to researching the “musicological, compositional, biographical context and emotional significance” of classical works. And he is looking forward to learning in an environment surrounded by peers who are in pursuit of similar goals.

“I am really looking forward to devoting more of my time and energy into studying works from the classical repertoire and being in a competitive yet supportive music environment,” he says.

Walter’s future in classical music was first inspired by his father, who would play the cello for him and his siblings, including Bach’s Cello Suites and, Corelli’s Cello Sonata in D minor. After turning nine, he began learning to play the instrument for himself.

For Walter, even though attending the Yale School of Music “seemed out of my reach,” Haverford’s Department of Music provided him with “incredible support in subsidizing lessons, connecting me with phenomenal teachers, and providing a well- rounded music education.” Under the guidance of Heidi Jacob, director of instrumental studies at Haverford, he met many influential teachers who helped him prepare for his audition at the prestigious Connecticut university.

The cellist hopes to at some point “start a cello studio and perhaps get a professorship at a conservatory.” His time at Yale, and the work he’ll do teaching private lessons, will lay the groundwork for such a future, “giv[ing] me the tools and experience in performance and pedagogy to effectively instruct and communicate with students.”

Photo by Justin Brendel ’18.

“Where They’re Headed” is a blog series reporting on the post-collegiate plans of recent Haverford graduates.