About William

William Ögmundson is generally acknowledged to be one of the finest pianists in New England.  He has performed numerous solo recitals and concerts while also making a name for himself as a composer, music director and collaborative pianist.  William is also the organist and choir director at the First Congregational Church in Lebanon, NH.

William began performing at the age of 5, and went on to win numerous piano competitions throughout his middle- and high school years. During this time period, he was the featured pianist for the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra on four separate occasions. William has performed at numerous venues throughout Europe, most notably the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, as the organist for a Sunday morning mass.

In recent years, William has also begun to gain a reputation as a brilliant composer. He has written the music for the past five productions of the NorthEast Shakespeare Ensemble, which have been performed at the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, NH and at Colby Sawyer College in New London, NH.   Past productions that benefited from his touch include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “King Lear”,  “Much Ado about Nothing”,  “Othello” and “A Comedy of Errors”.  Musical excerpts from these can be found on his CD “Orpheus“.  This year’s production of “Anna Christie” by Eugene O’Neill promises to be spectacular as well!

In addition, William has composed the music for numerous original productions. “Hope is Like a Feather” (2007) was performed both in the United States, and in South Africa.  “Pollyanna” (2008) was first performed at Plymouth State University, and is currently gaining a world-wide following (Listen to a sample from Pollyanna), since being published by Dramatic Publishing in 2011.    “Benny Pierce: A Ghost Story”, which he wrote with Tom Dunn  was produced in Hillsboro in 2011, and “Wild Swans” (lyrics and script by Trish Lindberg) was produced at Plymouth State University in January 2012.  In September of 2012 a New Hampshire Public Television will begin airing “TIGER”, a show about bullying which will feature William’s music.

William also provides piano instruction at Three Oaks Piano Studio in North Sutton, NH.  His students range in age from 7-84, and although he often has a waiting list, he is always happy to speak with prospective students.

Will often entertains his audiences by performing stunts such as this one, playing the piano upside-down!