William Pearson is a composer and organist. His work includes several film scores for Aeon.co, combining live improvisation with digital processing. His acoustic compositions, derived from hand-made graphic scores, have been performed by world-class ensembles all over the United States.
Recent large works include "The Amphibian", a work toured throughout the US, Europe, and Russia by The Fifth House Ensemble in collaboration with the Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Alash, and "The Young Son," an evening-long composition with staging and video projection that was written for the TAK Ensemble and premiered in NYC.
William's research and writing engages with issues within aesthetics and the philosophy of music from a composer's perspective. His particular interest is with the communicative potential of the musical art form, and the ethical, political, interpersonal, and pedagogical implications of such a music.
In addition to teaching courses in Composition, Music Theory, Musicianship, and 21CM at DePauw, he is the advisor for the Contemporary Ensemble, a group that presents two concerts each year performing works by contemporary composers, including DePauw students. He is also the advisor for 'Art Walk,' a weekend-long student-organized interdisciplinary arts festival that takes place on the DePauw campus each Spring.
William studied Organ and Historical Keyboard Performance at Eastman University before getting his BMus in Music Composition at SUNY Purchase and his DMA in Music Composition with a minor in Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is indebted to his many wonderful teachers, including Erin Gee, Suzanne Farrin, Du Yun, and Huang Ruo.
