Services | About Me | Contact Information | Buy My CD!

About Me

William J. Weisser

           

Dr. William J. Weisser is Minister of  Music at Edenton St. United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC where he has been responsible for seven singing choirs, three  handbell choirs, three dance ensembles and instrumental ensembles for over 32 years.  He was the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Capital Area Chorale, a mixed voice community choir for 11 years. He was an Adjunct Assistant Professor on the faculty of North Carolina State University where he directed the University Singers for 5 years.

            Dr. Weisser is a graduate of Westminster Choir College where he studied Organ with Theodore C. Herzel, Dr. George Markey and Dr. Donald McDonald; Conducting with Robert Simpson, Robert Carwithen and Arthur Sjogren; and Voice with Robert Pate, Ramon Kyser and  Arthur Sjogren.  At Westminster he was a member of the world famous Westminster Choir which toured Puerto Rico.  He has done graduate work in Sacred Music at Indiana University under Dr. Oswald Ragatz. Dr. Weisser received a  Doctor of Humanities degree from Methodist College in May, 1997. He was also ordained a Deacon in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church in June, 1997.

            He has served as Dean of the Joliet, Ill. and Central North Carolina Chapters of the American Guild of Organists.  He is a member of the Chorister's Guild, The American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, The American Choral Director's Association, and the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts which he served as National President and many other Conference, Jurisdictional and General Church agencies.

            Dr. Weisser has performed with the Chicago Symphony and the North Carolina Symphony.  He has performed many organ recitals in the Southeast and is in demand as an accompanist for oratorios as well as a Choral Conductor.  He has served on the faculty of Louisburg College and was Interim Conductor of the Raleigh Oratorio Society.

He was the founding Director of the Children's Choir of Duke Chapel.  He has published with Abingdon Press.  Dr. Weisser was invited to give a pre-concert lecture on the life of Felix Mendelssohn and his Elijah for the North Carolina Symphony. 

            In August, 1986, the Edenton St. UM Church Chancel Choir sang the publisher's premiere of John Rutter's   Requiem, with the composer conducting.  In May, 1989, his Chancel Choir was invited to sing at a Memorial Day Concert at Carnegie Hall performing Mozart's Requiem   with the Manhattan Philharmonic conducted by George Albrecht of Hamburg, Germany.  In 1993, his Chancel Choir was invited by the Russian Government to sing on a special state sponsored concert series in Moscow. The Chancel Choir was invited to sing at the International music festival, Piccolo Spoleto, USA in Charleston, South Carolina during May 2001, 2002 and again in 2006.  For Memorial Day 2008 the Chancel Choir sang Randall Thompson’s Testament of Freedom at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. under the direction of Andre Thomas.

            He was selected to appear in Who's Who in the South and Southwest and Who's Who in Religion, and named International Man of the Year for 1992/1993 and 1996 by the International Biographical Center in Cambridge England. In 2001he released a CD of 20th century organ works titled “Music For A Sunday Afternoon”.

 

Web design by Mandie Manring