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Mr William Theis
Mr William Theis
William Theis is the Head of Brass at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Background
William Theis was appointed as Co-Principal Trumpet of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2000 by Dutch conductor and founding MPO Music Director Kees Bakels. He made his solo debut with the MPO in 2001, performing the Zimmerman trumpet concerto and can be heard on numerous recordings with the MPO on the BIS, VOX, and EMI labels. He spent 21 years in that position, performing with leading international conductors and soloists. He has been a guest in several orchestras in the region including the Sydney Symphony and Singapore Symphony Orchestras and was Principal Trumpet of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2004, which included a solo performance with Australian soprano Sara Macliver.
Originally from Chicago, William Theis received his music education degree from the University of Northern Colorado as a student of renowned pedagogue William Pfund. He went on to complete a master’s degree in performance at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he studied with David Bilger, former Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also studied with several current and former members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra and has undertaken extensive study of the Alexander Technique with John Henes, teacher of the Alexander Technique at Northwestern University.
During his time in Malaysia, William was also a faculty member of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, where he maintained a trumpet studio, coached and conducted brass ensembles and orchestral repertoire classes, and performed as a soloist with the conservatory orchestra and chamber groups. His former students have gone on to study at the graduate level at major conservatories and universities in the US.
William Theis has participated in many festival orchestras including the Aspen Music Festival where he was the winner of the Brass Concerto Competition, performed with the American Brass Quintet, and studied with Raymond Mase of the Juilliard School. He has been Co-Principal trumpet of the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, and Associate Principal Trumpet of the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. He was also a participant in the Verbier Festival Orchestra with the Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra. In addition, he has also performed and presented at International Trumpet Guild Conference masterclasses and events.