B I O G R A P H Y
The Emmy-nominated music of
composer Bill Withem has been
performed throughout the Western
Hemisphere, with premieres in
New York, Los Angeles, and
Detroit.
His music for choreographer
Lina Puodziukaite’s Egle
received its premiere at Lincoln
Center. His orchestral work
Supernova was premiered by conductor José Luís Maúrtua and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Peru. Withem's one-act opera,
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, premiered at Michigan State University under the baton of Raphael Jimenez. Withem was recently
nominated for an Emmy for best musical score to the documentary film Imported From China. It is one of several documentary film
scores composed for filmmaker Geri Alumit Zeldes.
Other recent premieres include Gradients for the Central Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, Tapestry and Bright Sparks of
Joy, both premiered by the Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra with the composer conducting, The Journey is a Labyrinth Within for
the Flint Youth Ballet, The Outlets of the Sky for the MSU Symphony Band, and Agamemnon for solo horn. Future commissions
include a saxophone quartet, a song cycle, and a trio for flute, percussion, and piano.
Withem's education began with playing the trumpet at age thirteen, and continued with musical studies at Appalachian State
University and Illinois State University, earning composition degrees from both colleges. In 2003 he received a masters in film scoring
from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and in 2009 received his doctorate in composition from Michigan State
University.
He has also participated in various composition workshops, including the John Duffy Composers Institute and ASCAP's Film
Composing Workshop in Los Angeles.
Withem currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan, where he teaches
composition, music technology, and theory.