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William Menefield
Jazz Pianist Artist William Menefield with his eclectic sound of Jazz, R&B, Soul, and Classical, draws the audience in with each note, in every song, at all performances. The Atlanta-based musician and composer flawlessly and creatively blends the influences of Stevie Wonder with Beethoven and Kenny Kirkland with Bach. William’s distinctive style creates a sound that is uniquely robust and smooth. He wrote his first piece at age 8, responding to his mother’s removal of all televisions from their home, and has been composing ever since. The passion and dedication to his craft continued and he later went on to earn his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Composition from the University of Texas at Austin (2011). William played his first professional show at age 12, debuting his jazz piano skills, at the “It’s Commonly Jazz” summer series. At 18, he released his first album, “Big Will Leaps In” (1998) with J Curve records. His second album, self-produced on his own label, “Will’s Revenge”, was released in 2005. He has been a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (2005) and Cincinnati Opera’s "Opera Goes to Church" (2006, 2013, 2016). Most recently, William participated on the creative team that produced music for an upcoming HBO pilot, and served as Musical Director for Jennifer Holliday (2018). In May of 2019, William’s choral orchestral piece, Prism, commissioned by the Young Professionals Choral Collective, premiered at Union Terminal in Cincinnati and at Carnegie Hall in New York. William is currently working on Fierce, a new opera commissioned by Cincinnati Opera; set to premiere in the Summer of 2020. You can also find him performing at venues across the United States and around the world. William’s commitment to his craft is apparent in his expertly executed and engaging performance style. You are sure to enjoy and leave with a good feeling, following attendance at any of his performances or listening to his recordings. William Menefield...maestro, composer, singer, pianist...a true artist extraordinaire.