William
William Seymour
d. February 3, 2017
Dr. William M. Seymour, age 86, passed away on Friday, February 3, 2017. Bill was born May 24, 1930 in Hillsboro, Illinois, to local pharmacist Harold Raymond Seymour and his wife Celia (Scinitches) Seymour. Bill wasthe oldest of four children and had two sisters, Anna Marie and Betty Jo, and a brother, Harold.
Bill's father played baseball with him almost every day and had his heart set on Bill becoming a ballplayer. Bill's mom, however, wanted him to be a musician, and at one point she bought a grand piano and had it delivered without telling his dad. Bill got good enough as a ballplayer that he got a tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals and was offered a contract as a shortstop. His dad was elated and proud, but he told Bill that he really should make his own choice now, so Bill decided to go for the really big bucks as a musician. During his high school days, and later at college, he got jobs playing in dance bands. He pursued his musical studies in piano and in 1951, he was one of five winners of the Young Artists Competition sponsored by the St. Louis Symphony Society.
Bill was drafted into the army during the Korean War and was trained as a rifleman, but someone found out that he could play trombone and fortunately, his rifle was taken away from him, much to the benefit of the U.S. Army Band in San Francisco. André Previn, who was also in the military at the Presidio of San Francisco, was studying with the San Francisco Symphony's great conductor, Pierre Monteux, at the same time, and he and Bill used to improvise together and substitute for one another at various San Francisco bars. While he was in the Army Band, Bill also played USO shows with Bob Hope and Raymond Burr.
Bill was hired by the University of New Mexico Department of Music in 1962 to teach piano and low brass instruments (tuba, trombone and French horn). He also taught courses in music education, musical behavior, piano pedagogy, Music Aesthetics, and Psychology. In his "spare" time, he served as advisor to all the students in the department, which often numbered around 350.
In 1970, Bill was serving as acting chair of the UNM Department of Music while Prof. Walter Keller was on sabbatical in Spain. After Keller's sudden death, Bill continued as chair until 1973. During his time as chair, the composition program at UNM blossomed, with the hiring in 1971 of William Wood as Associate Professor of composition of theory and Scott Wilkinson as Lecturer in theory. Bill also served for a time as Assistant Dean of the College of Fine Arts.
As a classical piano soloist, Bill performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque and the Sierra Woodwind Quintet. As a jazz performer, he appeared at jazz venues in San Francisco, St. Louis and Kansas City. As a classical and jazz pianist, he presented benefit concerts for the Santa Fe Opera. Prior to coming to UNM, Bill had directed the Music Education program at St. Louis University and had been a consultant in music at Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri. He had taught in the Elizabeth (Illinois) public
schools and at Yuma Union High School in Parker, Arizona. A conducting student of Vladimir Golschmann, Bill was the first music director of the Dubuque Pops Orchestra, which was founded in 1957. He held an Ed.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He also earned a degree from the Music and Art College in St. Louis.
In 1993, he received the Teacher of the Year Award from the UNM College of Fine Arts and was inducted into the New Mexico Music Educators Hall of Fame. He retired from UNM in 1993, but continued to teach piano and to give classes in piano improvisation and in the art of teaching piano. He also continued to pursue his research in music and neuroscience, and presented several lectures for the UNM Honors Continuum lecture series.
Bill will be remembered fondly by the many students and friends whose lives he touched. Interment will be at the Santa Fe National Cemetery on Tuesday, March 14, at 12:45 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to the William Seymour Memorial Scholarship for Music or to the William Seymour Collaborative Piano Scholarship Endowment at the University of New Mexico Department of Music (checks may be made to the UNM Foundation, 700 Lomas NE, Suite 108, Albuquerque, NM 87102), or to the charity of your choice.
There will be a celebration of William Seymour's life on Sunday, September 17, 2017, 4:00 p.m. in Keller Hall, UNM Center for the Arts.
Bill's father played baseball with him almost every day and had his heart set on Bill becoming a ballplayer. Bill's mom, however, wanted him to be a musician, and at one point she bought a grand piano and had it delivered without telling his dad. Bill got good enough as a ballplayer that he got a tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals and was offered a contract as a shortstop. His dad was elated and proud, but he told Bill that he really should make his own choice now, so Bill decided to go for the really big bucks as a musician. During his high school days, and later at college, he got jobs playing in dance bands. He pursued his musical studies in piano and in 1951, he was one of five winners of the Young Artists Competition sponsored by the St. Louis Symphony Society.
Bill was drafted into the army during the Korean War and was trained as a rifleman, but someone found out that he could play trombone and fortunately, his rifle was taken away from him, much to the benefit of the U.S. Army Band in San Francisco. André Previn, who was also in the military at the Presidio of San Francisco, was studying with the San Francisco Symphony's great conductor, Pierre Monteux, at the same time, and he and Bill used to improvise together and substitute for one another at various San Francisco bars. While he was in the Army Band, Bill also played USO shows with Bob Hope and Raymond Burr.
Bill was hired by the University of New Mexico Department of Music in 1962 to teach piano and low brass instruments (tuba, trombone and French horn). He also taught courses in music education, musical behavior, piano pedagogy, Music Aesthetics, and Psychology. In his "spare" time, he served as advisor to all the students in the department, which often numbered around 350.
In 1970, Bill was serving as acting chair of the UNM Department of Music while Prof. Walter Keller was on sabbatical in Spain. After Keller's sudden death, Bill continued as chair until 1973. During his time as chair, the composition program at UNM blossomed, with the hiring in 1971 of William Wood as Associate Professor of composition of theory and Scott Wilkinson as Lecturer in theory. Bill also served for a time as Assistant Dean of the College of Fine Arts.
As a classical piano soloist, Bill performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque and the Sierra Woodwind Quintet. As a jazz performer, he appeared at jazz venues in San Francisco, St. Louis and Kansas City. As a classical and jazz pianist, he presented benefit concerts for the Santa Fe Opera. Prior to coming to UNM, Bill had directed the Music Education program at St. Louis University and had been a consultant in music at Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri. He had taught in the Elizabeth (Illinois) public
schools and at Yuma Union High School in Parker, Arizona. A conducting student of Vladimir Golschmann, Bill was the first music director of the Dubuque Pops Orchestra, which was founded in 1957. He held an Ed.D. degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He also earned a degree from the Music and Art College in St. Louis.
In 1993, he received the Teacher of the Year Award from the UNM College of Fine Arts and was inducted into the New Mexico Music Educators Hall of Fame. He retired from UNM in 1993, but continued to teach piano and to give classes in piano improvisation and in the art of teaching piano. He also continued to pursue his research in music and neuroscience, and presented several lectures for the UNM Honors Continuum lecture series.
Bill will be remembered fondly by the many students and friends whose lives he touched. Interment will be at the Santa Fe National Cemetery on Tuesday, March 14, at 12:45 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to the William Seymour Memorial Scholarship for Music or to the William Seymour Collaborative Piano Scholarship Endowment at the University of New Mexico Department of Music (checks may be made to the UNM Foundation, 700 Lomas NE, Suite 108, Albuquerque, NM 87102), or to the charity of your choice.
There will be a celebration of William Seymour's life on Sunday, September 17, 2017, 4:00 p.m. in Keller Hall, UNM Center for the Arts.
Service Details
Tuesday, March 14th, 2017, 12:45pm, Santa Fe National Cemetery
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