William White

William White is a conductor, composer, teacher, writer, and performer based in Seattle, WA. Equally known for his original music as for his bold interpretations, White is an innovative programmer and conscientious leader in the musical community.

White currently serves as music director of Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers, a unique performing ensemble comprised of a chorus and orchestra that concertize as one. For four seasons (2011-15) he served as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, working closely with music director Louis Langrée and an array of guest artists, including John Adams, Philip Glass, Jennifer Higdon, and Itzhak Perlman. A noted pedagogue, he has led some of the nation’s finest youth orchestra programs, including Portland’s Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.

White has significant experience working with choirs and vocal soloists in a variety of contexts, from small ensembles to major symphonic and operatic choruses. He has long-standing associations with a number of musical organizations, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, for whom he has regularly given pre-concert lectures since 2008. For three seasons, he was Music Director of Cincinnati’s Seven Hills Sinfonietta, a period which saw remarkable growth for the organization as a whole.

White maintains a significant career as a composer of music for the concert stage, theater, cinema, church, radio, and film. His music has been performed throughout North America as well as in Asia and Europe. His output includes a symphony, an oratorio, chamber music of all varieties, and several works intended for young audiences. His music has been recorded on the MSR Classics, Cedille, and Navona.

White earned a masters degree in Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, studying symphonic and operatic repertoire with David Effron and Arthur Fagan. He received a BA in Music from the University of Chicago, where his principal teachers were the composer Easley Blackwood and the conductor Barbara Schubert. In 2004, he began attending the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors under the tutelage of Michael Jinbo, later serving as the school’s Conducting Associate, then as its Composer-in-Residence.

White hails from Bethesda MD, where he began his musical training as a violist. He is active as a clinician, arranger, and guest conductor, particularly of his own works. His orchestral arrangements, including “Happy,” “Dear Theodosia”, and an orchestral suite from Sweeney Todd have been performed by orchestras throughout the United States.

In 2015, White launched a YouTube series called “Ask a Maestro” where he answers questions about the world of classical music. Recordings of his works can be heard at his web site, www.willcwhite.com, where he also maintains a blog and publishing business. www.willcwhite.com