William Porter is a
professor of organ at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston,
where he also teaches Music Theory and Music History. He holds
degrees from Oberlin College, where he also aught from 1974 to 1986, and
from Yale University, where he was director of music at Yale Divinity
School. Widely known as a performer and teacher in the United States
and in Europe, he is a leader among organists working towards a recovery
of a historical approach to musical performance incorporating early
technical practice and improvisation.
He has taught and
performed at the North German Organ Academy, the Italian Academy of Music
for the Organ, The Göteborg
International Organ Academy, the Dollart Festival, the Boston Early Music
Festival, and the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists.
He is a co-founder of Afetti Musicali and of Musica Poetica, Boston based
ensembles that have received critical acclaim for their performance of
baroque repertoire. From 1985 to 1997 he was director of music at
the Church of Saint John the Evangelist in Boston. He has recorded
on the Gasparo, Proprius, and BMG labels.