William Holtz is a musician, conductor, and violist from Arlington, Virginia. He is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Performance (Viola) and a minor in Orchestral Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Viola Performance while working toward a Certification in Music Education, also at Carnegie Mellon.
A valedictorian graduate of the Yorktown High School Class of 2020, he served as President of the school’s chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. At Yorktown, he was Principal Violist, Associate Conductor, and President of the award-winning Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Thomas Hartman. William was an original member of Crescendo, now the 9th Street Chamber Music program, directed by his high school viola teacher Elizabeth O'Hara.
William has participated in numerous festivals and summer programs, including Interlochen Arts Camp, Eastman Summer Music Horizons, Manhattan School of Music Summer, and Brevard Music Festival, and was selected for four Virginia All State and Regional Orchestras.
At Carnegie Mellon, William is a Peer Tutor for nearly all first- and second-year music classes, Teaching Assistant for Eurhythmics with Stephen Neely, and a member of the Ensemble Crew. He has been an Office Assistant for the CMU Pre-College Music Program and a lead on the Organizing Committee for the International Conference of Dalcroze Studies.
Holtz studies viola with David Harding and has been assistant principal violist of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic under the direction of Andres Cardenes. He has received training as a chamber musician from several members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and was recently a substitute violist for the Altoona Symphony Orchestra.
Holtz studies conducting with Daniel Curtis and Jeffrey Klefstad. He is an assistant conductor of the Carnegie Mellon All-University Orchestra, and has led the group in performances at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh. Holtz is also a conductor of the CMU Repertoire Orchestra and frequently gathers musicians for readings, most recently Bernstein’s West Side Story.
A passionate advocate of expanding one’s musical horizons, Holtz has performed on the viola, piano, mandola, bass guitar, and as conductor. He has experience in a wide variety of musical contexts, such as pit orchestras for musicals, pop and rock groups, a mandolin and guitar orchestra, and has conducted an a capella group singing the national anthem at a Pittsburgh Pirates game.
When not practicing, he enjoys watching sitcoms, playing ping pong and card games, and blasting an eclectic mix of symphonic classics, showtunes, and 90’s alt rock to the dismay of his loving family.