Nathan Williams
Nathan Williams joined the faculty of the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin in August, 2008. In October, 2008 he was appointed principal clarinetist of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston. He is a founding member of Strata, a trio with pianist Audrey Andrist and violinist/violist James Stern.
Mr. Williams has been hailed by critics as “outstanding for his musicality, breath control, robust, and brilliant tone, and flawless technique” (El Nuevo Dia Domingo, San Juan), “a highly effective soloist” (The New York Times), and “a stellar musician, capable of the most exquisite and expressive playing” (The Winston-Salem Journal). He has appeared as concerto soloist and given recitals and chamber music performances at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, and Kaufmann Hall at the 92nd St. Y, and throughout the United States as well as in Austria, Canada, China, Italy, Israel, Hungary, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Portugal. He was Co-Artistic Director for the 2010 International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, hosted by the Butler School of Music in July, 2010.
Performance highlights in the 2010-11 concert season include a concert with Strata in New York’s Merkin Hall in November in a program which will include the premiere of a work written for the trio by Stephen Paulus, a tour in Asia including recitals in China and Taiwan, and appearances as soloist in Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in April and in John Adams’ Gnarly Buttons with the UT New Music Ensemble in October.
He has been heard in concert broadcasts on National Public Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Austrian Radio Network, NCRV Dutch Radio), and WNCN-New York. His compact disc recordings for Albany Records, Composers Recordings, Inc., Naxos, New Dynamic Records, and Arizona University Recordings have earned much critical acclaim.
Mr. Williams is on the artist roster of Lois Scott Management, Inc. He is an artist/clinician for Buffet Crampon and a Rico/D’Addario performing artist. He is on the artist faculty of the Aria International Summer Academy at Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts, and the Montecito Summer Music Festival in Santa Barbara, California.
