Walter Blanding grew up in a musical family in New York City. He has been a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra since 1998 and has performed, toured and/or recorded with such renowned artists as tRoy Hargrove, Hilton Ruiz, Wynton Marsalis and many others. Blanding lived in Israel for four years and had a major impact on the music scene while touring the country with his own ensemble and with U.S. Artists. During this period, Newsweek International called him a “Jazz Ambassador to Israel.”