Julius Penson Williams

Julius Penson Williams (born June 22, 1954, in The Bronx, New York), is an American composer, conductor, and college professor. He served as president of the International Conductors Guild from 2019 to 2023. An author of both instrumental and vocal music, Williams has composed operas, symphonies, and chorus works for stage, concert hall, film, and television. Primarily a classically trained musician, Williams also writes in genres including gospel, jazz, and other contemporary forms. Biography Born in New York, on June 22, 1954, in the Bronx, he began playing drums at age eight, then picked up other instruments such as the piano. Williams was educated in the New York public school system and graduated in 1972 from Andrew Jackson High School, a performing arts school in Queens, New York. Williams attended Herbert Lehman College and Hartt School of Music where he received his, B.S. and M.M.E. respectively. He has an honorary doctorate from Keene State College in New Hampshire. While in Colorado, Williams studied orchestral conducting and composition at the Aspen Music School in 1984. Williams is a frequent guest conductor, and has had several artist-in-residencies and teaching positions. He has received a number of awards for his music. He has studied, performed and taught abroad in countries such as Russia and China. Williams has written articles, edited an anthology, and submitted writings to journals on the music of African Americans. Williams has been a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston since fall 1998. He is the professor of composition and artistic director of The Berklee Contemporary Symphony at Berklee College of Music. He teaches composition, conducting, theory, and also runs the Berklee International Composers Institute. He is also the conductor of the Great American Songbook Orchestra.