Owens, William

William Owens (b. 1963) is a native of Gary, Indiana. He is a seasoned music educator and composer, clinician and conductor throughout the United States and Canada. His compositional style for young ensembles displays a keen, practical approach which has firmly established him as a leader in the field. Since 1993, Mr. Owens has written over 200 commissioned and published works for concert band, string orchestra and small ensemble. His music is performed and appears on required music lists nationally and abroad. Principal commissions include those from the California Band Directors Association, the Iowa Bandmasters Association, the South Plains College (TX) Department of Fine Arts, the College of Charleston (SC) and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. Several of his works including The Blue Orchid and Maesong have been recorded and analyzed in educational text by the GIA series Teaching Music Through Performance in Band. Other works such as Carpathia, Great Wall, The Tahoka Galop and Tudor Sketches have become staples of the young band repertoire. William is a 1985 graduate of Chicago's VanderCook College of Music and the recipient of numerous awards and grants for composition. Professional memberships include the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), the Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. He is recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by his alma mater, and a recipient of the Texas Bandmasters Associations Meritorious Achievement Award. In January 2014, William formally retired from duty as a band director in Texas after 30 years of service. William resides in Fort Worth, TX with his wife and best friend, Georgia.