William Purvis
When students arrive at YSM, they are already quite accomplished, bringing with them a plethora of valuable experiences with which to enrich the musical lives of their colleagues including me! I do not believe there is one way to approach learning any instrument; we are all different. It is important to empower each of our capabilities - rational, physical, emotional, and artistic - to contribute in the strongest way possible to help us to be 100 percent committed to every note, every phrase we play. (Sometimes I feel more like a personal trainer than a teacher.)
William Purvis
William Purvis pursues a multifaceted career in the United States and abroad as horn soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and educator. He is a member of the New York Woodwind Quintet, the Yale Brass Trio, and the Triton Horn Trio, and is an emeritus member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. A passionate advocate of new music, he has participated in numerous premieres of pieces for solo horn, horn concerti, horn trios, and woodwind quintets by such composers as Krzysztof Penderecki, Steven Stucky, and Elliott Carter. Purvis has also been a frequent guest artist at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Boston Chamber Music Society and has collaborated with many of the world’s most esteemed string quartets.
At the Yale School of Music, Purvis teaches a studio of graduate-level horn students and has been featured many times in performances on the School’s Faculty Artist Series.
A Grammy Award winner, Purvis has recorded extensively for numerous labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, Naxos Records, Koch Entertainment, and Bridge Records.
