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William Koehler

Teaching Assistant Professor - Voice


Dr. William Koehler received a Bachelor of Music Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in speech/theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.  The Bachelor’s degree was an individually designed curriculum which focused on voice, acting, directing, and dance. He also holds a Master of Music Degree in vocal performance from the University of Kentucky where he studied with Everett McCorvey and a Doctoral of Musical Arts Degree in vocal performance from the University of Minnesota where he studied with John DeHaan.

 

Comfortable on the opera stage, in concert, in theatrical productions and as a director, Koehler’s activities have included the Mother for WVU’s Opera Theatre production of Seven Deadly Sins, and Abe Kaplan in Street Scene; soloist for Eternal Light Requiem by Howard Goodall, Bass soloist in Messiah both for WVU; Pooh-Bah in Lyric Opera of the North’s production of Mikado, stage direction of both Bizet’s Carmen for the WVU Schools of Music and Theatre & Dance and the WVU Opera Theatre’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury; Juror No. 7 in the play, Twelve Angry Men produced by M.T. Pockets Theatre of Morgantown, and Gaston in Picasso at the Lapin Agile produced by the Frostburg State University Theatre.

 

Other performances include Cadmus/Somnus in Handel’s Semele, Bottom in Britten’s Midsummer Nights Dream, Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro, Commendatore in Don Giovanni, the Rev. Winemiller for WVU’s Opera Theatre production of Summer and Smoke, and soloist in WVU’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

 

Koehler, a Visiting Assistant Professor, has taught several classes besides applied voice lessons for WVU’s School of Music. Among them are Diction for Singers, Vocal Pedagogy for music education majors, Voice Pedagogy for vocal performance majors and assistant Opera Workshop instructor.

 

He also teaches Voice Technique for Speakers through the Community Music Program at WVU. This is a course which is designed for adults who depend on their voice: singers, clinicians, actors, teachers, coaches, clergy, announcers, lawyers, salespeople, or people who simply suffer from vocal fatigue.

 

He has been a member of the music faculty at Frostburg State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, the University of Minnesota Morris, and the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

 

Besides his solo work, Koehler sings and has recorded with the American Spiritual Ensemble, a group that performs all over the world and whose mission is to keep the American Negro Spiritual alive and vibrant.