Masterclass: Bill Williams, The Path to Optimal Performance

 OVERVIEW:

The pressure of performing in events such as auditions, competitions and important concerts can have a

deleterious effect on performance. Musicians, regardless of their level of development and performance

experience, can be adversely affected by stress.

Visiting performance coach and trumpeter Bill Williams presents "The Path to Optimal Performance , an

introductory lecture focused on demystifying the concept of stress and its effects on performance.

This 90-minute presentation features a discussion of the mechanics of stress as well as an

introduction to techniques specifically designed to help focus energy and attention during critical

performances.

Artist Bio

Bill Williams has performed as principal trumpet and soloist with orchestras and festivals

internationally. His activities have included an extensive range of performances, recordings and

tours with with major orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, the Berner

Symphonieorchester, the Barcelona Symphony and many other orchestras in the US, Europe and

Asia. He has performed chamber music at a variety of festivals internationally and with leading

ensembles including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Frankfurt Germany-based Ensemble Modern

and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. During the summers, he serves as a faculty member at the

Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California and performs as solo trumpet of the

Gstaad/Menuhin Festival Orchestra.

In addition to his performing life, Bill is a highly regarded teacher and educational advisor. He

served as Dean of the New World Symphony, leading program expansion activities during a

transformative time in its history. In early 2017, he was invited to serve as an inaugural

Artist/Faculty member of Youth Music Culture Guangdong, a Chinese cultural initiative, in

collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, conductor Michael Stern and members of the Silk Road

Ensemble. In demand internationally as a performance psychology coach, he has a private practice

based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bill has served as a performance psychology faculty

member/lecturer at institutions including the New World Symphony, the Juilliard School, the

Eastman School of Music, the University of Michigan, the Curtis Institute and the Zurich

Conservatory.

Bill was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance with the Performer’s Certificate from

the Eastman School of Music, where his main teachers were Charles Geyer and Barbara Butler. He

was also awarded the Master of Arts degree in Psychology from the New School for Social Research

(New York, NY.)