WILLIAM R. TERRY, Master Chief Musician, USN (Ret.)

William R. Terry, Master Chief Musician, USN (Retired) was appointed Associate Conductor of the National Concert Band of America in June 2010. Bill is a native of Glens Falls, NY and began playing the clarinet in fifth grade. For 50 of his 67 years he has been a  professional clarinetist, music educator and conductor.  

After college a 30-year career as a Navy Musician began in 1966 with the position of staff instructor at the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, Virginia. He first served as clarinet and saxophone instructor, and also student concert band rehearsal conductor. Then he was asked to write a conducting curriculum and teach the refresher, intermediate, and advanced band leader conducting courses for Army, Navy and Marine Corps personnel.  Bill also founded the School of Music Student Wind Ensemble; this premier ensemble gave quarterly concerts using new student personnel for each performance. During this period he worked outside the military as Production/Stage Manager for The Norfolk Symphony Orchestra under musical director Maestro Russell Stanger. This close collaboration with Maestro Stanger afforded him the opportunity to further perfect his conducting and rehearsal skills.

 Upon transfer in 1977 to the United States Navy Band in Washington, DC, he served as clarinet instrumentalist in both the concert band and ceremonial band units. For 18 of his 20 year tenure Bill was the Senior Enlisted Conductor for both of these musical units, serving in this position for five consecutive Officer-in-Charge/Leaders. As part of this position he was asked to be Producer of several of the Navy Band’s currently available compact disc recordings. 

An accomplished studio session player exclusively for Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland, upon Navy retirement in September of 1996 Bill set up The Omega Studios’ School of Applied Recording Arts & Sciences’ Admissions and Job Placement Departments. For 13 years, he was the School’s Director of Admissions and teacher of its  Personal and Career Skills course and Music Theory class. Now fully retired, Bill still returns to teach the aforementioned classes as an adjunct professor for each of the School’s quarterly sessions.