ArtistInfo

William Neil

Composer of Classical

Composer / Sound Designer William Neil’s compositions present the listener with an intense brilliant effect (FANFARE MAGAZINE) and represents contemporary writing at its most intellectual probing (CHICAGO TRIBUNE). His extremely characteristic harmonic world (CLASSICAL CD REVIEW) is fundamental to the unfolding of his music. Never exhausting his quest for what he calls “dream craft”, Neil regularly performs with Project Fourth Stream, immersing himself in the energy of improvisation and spontaneous composition. In the 1980’s Neil was appointed as the first composer-in-residence with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the first residency of its kind with a major American opera company. He then went on to produce award winning concerts and events at the New Music Chicago Spring Festival for several years. His has composed music for celebrated musicians including John Bruce Yeh and Chicago Pro Musica, guitarist Michael Lorimer and soprano Barbara Ann Martin. The Rome Prize and the Charles Ives Award are among his honors. His work has been recognized through grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, fellowships from the Fulbright Commission and the American Symphony Orchestra League and awards from ASCAP and BMI. Most recently he served as a 2008 McKnight Visiting Composer with the American Composers Forum for the city of Winona, MN. Neil is the artistic director of TheComposerStudio.Com, LLC that specialises in film and sound design for theatre. He has produced sound design for the In Tandem Theatre Company production of Beast on the Moon and The Glass Menageries in Milwaukee, WI. He has also worked with the actor-director Phil Addis in designing sound for Nosferatu for the Viroqua Community Theatre. Recent film scores include the Community Conservation documentary Conservation of the Yellow Tailed Wooly Monkey.