William Smith

Location: Lexington, The Metro West, Boston and Cambridge, and Zoom

Specializes in: Classical and Composition

Biography

William Smith is an American pianist, composer, and teacher active in the Boston area. He began his musical studies at the age of six in his hometown of Augusta, GA, and quickly fell in love with playing the instrument. In 2019, William began his undergraduate studies at Florida State University with Dr. David Kalhous. Highlights of this time include a third-place finish in the Gulf Coast Steinway Society Piano Competition and attendance at the Gijón International Piano Festival, where he worked with teachers such as Amy Gustasfon, Douglas Humphries, José Ramón Méndez, Jean Saulnier, and Logan Skelton. An advocate of contemporary music, William regularly performs music written from the 20th century to the modern day, including music by Adams, Boulez, Glass, and Ligeti, and regularly collaborates in the production of new works. William is also in high demand as an accompanist. His vast experience covers a plethora of genres, including opera scenes/arias, historical and contemporary art song, musical theatre, chamber music, instrumental concerti, and other various instrumental sonatas/works. As a composer, William combines his love for minimalism, mathematics, and sacred music. Most recently and notably, he has seen debut performances of his choral setting of the 23rd Psalm, his Piano Sonata in F major, and his micro-opera The Fall, which was written in collaboration with librettist and soprano Anna Jean Simmons. William holds degrees from Florida State University (B.M., Piano Performance, B.S., Pure Mathematics), where he studied piano with Dr. David Kalhous, and the Longy School of Music (M.M., Piano Performance), where he studied piano with Mr. Wayman Chin. Other teachers have included Dr. Clara Park (Piano), Dr. Deloise Lima (Chamber Music, Collaborative Piano), Dr. Diana Dumavwala (Piano Pedagogy), and Mr. Donald Berman (Chamber Music). Outside of music, William enjoys running and hearing the latest tea from his family and friends–sometimes even at the same time.

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is an integral part of my life as an artist. I see the art of teaching to be a spiritual practice of sorts since it allows me to connect with a student as they develop their inner musical voice. Since each student is unique, I work with my students to create well-rounded programs that are geared to the student’s particular musical interests and capabilities. Rather than teaching students to play exactly as I do, it is my ultimate goal as a teacher to allow others to find and develop their own personal playing styles and interpretations.