The music of William Neil has been performed on both sides of the Atlantic and has been featured at the Festival of Music in Evian, France, the Electronic Plus Festival in New York, the Pontino Festival in Italy, and the New Music Chicago Festival. He has written works for celebrated musicians including his Concerto for Piccolo Clarinet for John Bruce Yeh and Chicago Pro Music, recorded on the Newport Classic label, Fantasia, and Concerto for Guitar for guitarist Michael Lorimer, published by Melbay, Violin Rhapsody for violinist Sharon Polifrone recorded on Albany Records, and his songs set to poems by D.H.Lawrence, The Waters Are Shaking the Moon, for soprano Barbara Ann Martin, premiered on WFMT radio in June of 1996. In 1984 he was appointed the first composer-in-residence with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. His first opera, The Guilt of Lillian Sloan, was premiered in 1986. His orchestral works have been performed by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, The Chicago Chamber Orchestra, the Opus One Chamber Orchestra, Concertante di Chicago and the Czech National Symphony. His recent commissions include Scherzo at the Spend of Light for Northern Kentucky University, Project Phoenix for Chicago Pro Musica and Super String Quartet for the Arts Association of Denmark. He earned the B.M. and M.M. Degrees in Composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with composer Donald Erb. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Composition from the University of Michigan School of Music studying composition with Leslie Bassett and William Bolcom.
AWARDS
His creativity has been recognized by awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1982), a BMI composition award (1981), an ASCAP award (1981), a Fulbright Fellowship (1978-1979), commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts (1978, 1984), an Illinois Arts Grant (1988), and the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome (1983).