Camden was born in London and studied at the Royal College of Music. He established the London Virtuosi in 1972, with whom he toured for more than two decades. He also founded a music festival at Segovia, in Spain, and continued to run the festival even after moving to Australia in 1988 to lead the Queensland Conservatorium.

He recorded and performed regularly in Europe and Asia. From 1993 to 2003 he was dean of music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Colleagues nicknamed him "the Whizzer" because of his infectious energy.

He died of motor neuron disease.