William Purvis pursues a multifaceted career both in the U.S. and abroad as horn soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and educator. A passionate advocate of new music, he has participated in numerous premieres including horn concerti by Peter Lieberson, Bayan Northcott, Krzysztof Penderecki (New York premiere), and Paul Lansky; horn trios by Poul Ruders and Paul Lansky; Quintet for Horn and Strings by Richard Wernick with the Juilliard Quartet, Sonate en Forme de Préludes by Steven Stucky, and Retracing II for Solo Horn and Nine by Five with the New York Woodwind Quintet, both by Elliott Carter.
William 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. He has been a frequent guest artist with 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. Recent Festival appearances have included the Sarasota, Norfolk, Sebago-Long Lake, Chestnut Hill, Chamber Music Northwest, Charlottesville and Phoenix, Lake George and Lake Champlain chamber music festivals in the U.S., and the Great Mountain, Busan and Gimhae Chamber Music Festivals in South Korea and the Kitakaruizawa Festival in Japan.
William has participated in performances on historical instruments with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and a recording of the Quintets for Piano and Winds is scheduled be released in 2026. He has recorded extensively on numerous labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, Naxos, Koch, and Bridge. He is currently Professor in the Practice of Horn and Chamber Music at the Yale School of Music and has served as Coordinator of Winds and Brass and as Director of the Yale Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments. He has performed at the Festival since 2000.
[2026]