Ronald J. Williams is an active composer, conductor, teacher, piano tuner and church musician. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Colorado Repertory Singers, a community chorale based in Broomfield, Colorado. Established in January, 2002, Williams has begun the seventh season with the CRS. He is also the Artistic Director of the Broomfield Choral Festival established in 2005.
He is the former Director of Worship and Arts at Broomfield United Methodist Church where he directed the Chancel Choir, Voices of Faith, and Gabriel’s Horns, and oversaw the Worship and Arts Program.
Williams is in his 29th year as a choral director. He is a popular choral clinician, conducting music reading sessions for area choir directors, and maintains a thriving piano studio. His popularity as a music director stems from his infectious love of music and his mastery of the art as evidenced by the comments of his singers. Keith Harrison states, “I want you to know how important you have been to my musical life. It is due to you that I developed whatever skills as a choral vocalist that I now have: skills that have allowed me to get involved with other wonderful music experiences that would otherwise have been inaccessible to me”
In additional to his weekly choir, vocal and chorale commitments, he has produced and conducted feature concerts in the Denver metro area including the Messiah, Mozart Requiem, Beethoven Mass in C, Brahms Requiem, Vivaldi Gloria, Rutter Requiem, Rutter Gloria, Morten Lauridsen Lux Aeterna, and Randall Thompson Testament of Freedom. He has prepared choirs for the Breckenridge Music Festival under the direction of Dr. Carl Topilow and he prepared the Colorado Repertory Singers for a 2004 Carnegie Hall performance under the direction of Dr. Timothy Sharp.
In 2001, Williams created the Broomfield Festival Choir as a vehicle to unite area singers and instrumentalists in community-wide concerts. The choir’s two sold-out performances of the Mozart Requiem not only benefited local Habitat for Humanity homes, but also benefited the singers: “When I stopped singing in an organized format twenty-odd years ago, I left behind something that I truly loved and thus created a void in my life,” stated Bob Friedlander. “Singing under your direction has more than filled that void, and Saturday’s performance provided me with that amazing rush that only comes from making music … Thank you so much for a truly memorable experience…” Williams plans to schedule the choir to perform annually, and is currently organizing a performance of the Brahms Requiem in September, 2006.
Williams enjoys producing music as both director and composer. His popular Christmas anthem, The Stable Choir, was performed in concert by the prestigious Colorado Mormon Chorale. His recent work for orchestra, Nightwinds, was included in Volume 8 of the critically acclaimed compact disc series, “Masterworks of the New Era,” produced by ERMMedia (www.ermmedia.org.) Nightwinds was recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of award-winning, conductor-composer Robert Ian Winstin. “As a conductor, I run across a lot of scores that have quote – ‘something to say’ – end quote” said Winstin. “Ron Williams is the real thing. Nightwinds is intelligently written and – more to the point – musical. It is a work I’m delighted to conduct and record.” Nightwinds was also chosen as one of two winners in the Colorado Composers Showcase. Semper Fi Fanfare, Williams’ fanfare for brass ensemble saluting his service in the United States Marine Corps, was included in Volume 10 of the “Masterworks of the New Era” series.
His latest composition, Sing Noel, for choir and orchestra was included in the ERMMedia holiday CD, “Holidays of the New Era” and was also recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra and chorus. He has also arranged over 130 hymns for small wind ensemble, piano and organ.
A native Floridian, Williams holds a Master of Music degree in composition from the University of Colorado where he studied with both Richard Toensing and Luis Gonzalez, and received private and master class lessons with composers George Crumb and Joan Tower. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Theory from Stetson University, DeLand, Florida. He attended the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Fl. where he studied composition with Alvin Singleton, former composer-in-residence for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Williams holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Rollins College, Winter Park, Fl. He is a past board member of the Colorado chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He is the former director of the Arvada Center Chorale and has taught on both collegiate and elementary school levels. He is a lifelong pianist, is proficient on all types of keyboards, has orchestral experience as a cellist, and enjoys playing a variety of musical instruments.