William Coulter

William Coulter is an American Celtic guitarist, performer, recording artist, and teacher. Since 1981 he has explored the world of traditional music as a soloist with ensembles including Isle of Skye, Orison, and the Coulter-Phillips Ensemble.

Early life

William Coulter was born in 1959 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the son of a classical singer who founded the Pro Arte Chorale, a professional choral group. William's early exposure to the classical techniques of choral music influenced his own guitar work. At the age of nine, Coulter began taking piano lessons, practicing on a borrowed piano. In his teens, the piano was replaced by an electric guitar, which he practiced in his basement accompanying Neil Young records. At the age of eighteen, Coulter traded his electric guitar for a classical guitar after attending a concert by noted classical guitarist Andrés Segovia.

After graduating high school, Coulter performed with several bands. In 1980, he moved to Santa Cruz, California, where he studied classical guitar and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California-Santa Cruz. He went on to earn a master's degree in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Deeply interested in American folk music as well as traditional Celtic music, he went on to earn a second master's degree from the University of California-Santa Cruz in Ethnomusicology.

Celtic trilogy

In 1984 Coulter met guitarist Benjamin Verdery at one of Verdery's concerts on the West Coast. Coulter was so taken by Verdery's music that he introduced himself to the guitarist after the concert. The two guitarists quickly discovered that they had much in common musically, and the two became friends. Despite living on opposite coasts of the United States, they stayed in touch. In 1990, they performed together for the first time.

In 1988, Coulter teamed up with four other San Francisco Bay instrumentalists to form an ensemble called Orison, the name taken from the Middle English word for prayer or invocation. The group, which included William Coulter, Barry Phillips, Shelley Phillips, Steve Coulter, and Anne Cleveland, came to the project with a collective repertoire that included music from both the folk and classical traditions, as well as original compositions. Their combinations of harp, guitar, cello, oboe, English horn, flute, and percussion produced an ethereal musical signature of "poignant beauty."

In 1993, Coulter invited Verdery to play on some recording sessions of traditional and contemporary Celtic music he was working. This first album Celtic Crossing was released in 1995 and reflected Coulter's longstanding love for traditional Celtic music. Inspired by this musical tradition, Coulter produced his own renditions of traditional jigs, reels, and airs, including "The Lark in the Morning," "Sí bheag, sí mhór, " "Banish Misfortune," "Lagan Love," and others. 1990 Simple Gifts (with Barry Phillips) 1988 Orison: Celtic & Contemporary Instrumental Music (with Orison)

Appearances 2005 Essential Winter's Solstice 2004 Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar 2004 Very Best Of Celtic Christmas 2003 Celtic Circle 2001 Guitar Fingerstyle 2 2000 Celtic Soul 1999 Celtic Christmas: Peace On Earth 1999 Mozart Variations 1999 Daughter Of Lir (Mary Mc Laughlin) 1999 Sun Dance: Summer Solstice 3 1998 Thanksgiving 1998 Winter Solstice Reunion 1998 Celtic Christmas IV 1998 Conversations With God 2 1996 Celtic Spirit 1996 Celtic Treasure: The Legacy Of Turlough O'Carolan 1996 Celtic Twilight 3: Lullabies 1995 Sing Along Stew (Linda Arnold) 1994 Lullaby Land (Linda Arnold) 1993 Autumn In The Valley (Neal Hellman) 1992 Vanishing Borders (Northern Lights) 1992 World Turned Upside Down (Barry Phillips) 1989 Dream Of The Manatee (Neal Hellman)

Articles Interview (2002), by Paul Magnussen