William Helmers

William Helmers served as bass clarinetist of the Milwaukee Symphony for forty-two years. A member of the contemporary ensemble Present Music since the group’s inception, Mr. Helmers is active in commissioning, performing and recording new music. He gave the North American premiere of John Adams' clarinet concerto Gnarly Buttons with the composer conducting, and the world premiere of James Grant's Concerto for Bass Clarinet. Mr. Helmers has made numerous first recordings of solo and chamber music, including compositions by Roberto Sierra, James Grant, Kamran Ince, Jerome Kitzke, and others. Mr. Helmers performs chamber music throughout the year in many different settings. He is a founding member of Musaik, an innovative musician-managed ensemble, and in summers he has performed with the Washington Island Music Festival, the Santa Fe Opera, and other orchestras and ensembles. He has been a member of the Portland-based Westwood Wind Quintet, participating in many of their recordings for Crystal Records. Recently, he has enjoyed regular engagements with the Little Lake Stompers, a traditional jazz group. Mr. Helmers is a faculty member at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Holding degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School, Mr. Helmers’ primary teachers were Stanley Hasty and Joseph Allard. Other influential teachers included Anthony Gigliotti, Ronald Reuben, Harold Wright and Mitchell Lurie.