Bassoonist, William Hestand, was recently appointed Principal Bassoon of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. He is the former Second Bassoonist of The Cleveland Orchestra, and performs frequently with The Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Riverside Symphony, The Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Symphony Orchestra, American Composer’s Orchestra. In addition to a rich orchestral career William has also performed chamber music and solo recitals in the U.S. and abroad, including performances at the Salzburg Music Festival, Lancaster Festival, Skaneateles Festival, Windham Festival and concerts in the Netherlands, Dominican Republic and at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.

Mr. Hestand has also recorded for numerous television and motion picture soundtracks, including the Joker which won Best Original Score in 2019. He also can be heard on many Live from Lincoln Center broadcasts with the Metropolitan Opera including the Grammy nominated performance of Der Rosenkavalier in 2019. William also enjoys private teaching and frequently teaches as a guest professor at New York University’s Steinhardt Music Department in New York City. In addition, he has also taught reed making classes at New York University , Manhattan School of Music, University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Music, and a masterclass at the Cleveland Institute of Music.