January 25th, 2019

In the news: Julius P. Williams

Julius P. Williams, professor, Composition, at Berklee College of Music, was named the first African American president of the Conductors Guild. His two-year term began on January 3rd.

In its 34th  year, the Conductors Guild is a global membership organization encompassing conductors of symphony, opera, ballet, choral, band, contemporary, and chamber ensembles. The organization trains and mentors conductors of all ages, races, and education levels. 

Williams is also the artistic director and conductor of the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, music director and conductor of Trilogy: An Opera Company in New Jersey, composer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra “Composer-in-Residence Project,” and is cover to Maestro Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

“The appointment of Julius Williams as president of Conductors Guild is both meaningful and news-worthy. Maestro Williams has not only the stellar credentials, but the right vision, breadth and leadership, to set a powerful example for our field,” said Afa S. Dworkin, president and artistic director of The Sphinx Organization. “We applaud the Conductors Guild on this news and look forward to many inspiring programs and ideas that will undoubtedly emerge!”

Williams’s career has taken him from his native New York to musical venues around the globe and has included virtually every musical genre. Williams has conducted ensembles at Carnegie Hall, and performances with orchestras in Dallas, Savannah, Hartford, Sacramento, Tulsa and Knoxville, as well as the Harlem Symphony, Armor Artist Chamber Orchestra, Connecticut Opera, and Kalistos Chamber Orchestra in Boston.

“Julius Williams is a talented leader with years of experience as a prominent conductor and composer,” said League of American Orchestras president and CEO, Jesse Rosen. “I’m delighted that he will take the helm at the Conductors Guild.”