The American tenor, Francis Williams, completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he was a voice student of Eric Rieger. At Westminster, he collaborated frequently with renowned pianist, JJ Penna. As a member of the 40-voice Westminster Choir, he has performed on tours in Oklahoma, Texas, and in California. With the Westminster Symphonic Choir, he has worked with conductors such as Jacque Lacombe, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Simon Rattle, Daniele Gatti, and Joe Miller. In 2015, he has performed as a member of Westminster Choir with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Wiener Philharmoniker at Carnegie Hall and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center.
Francis Williams worked as a chorister with the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina for the past three summers, with directors such as John La Bouchardiere and Tony Award winner Garry Hynes. Past credits include Jonathan in George Frideric Handel's Saul, Tchaikovsky's Iolanta (Almeric) with Westminster Opera Theatre, G.F. Handel's Acis and Galatea (Acis) with Westminster Opera Workshop, and John Adams' El Niño (Chorus), Janaceck's Kat'a Kabanova with the Spoleto Festival USA. In 2016, he returned a second year as a tenor Young Artist with the Ad Astra Music Festival. |