William Averitt (b. 1948) is the composer of numerous works that have received performances throughout the United States and in Western Europe, Russia, and Asia. He has received numerous composer fellowships, grants and commissions from a wide variety of sources including the National Endowment for the Arts, VMTA/MTNA, the Hans Kindler Foundation of the Library of Congress, Choral Arts Northwest, Texas Lutheran University, the University of Missouri, Missouri State University, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, Bradley University, the Mid-Atlantic AGO, the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Opus 3 Trio, the Paducah (KY) Symphony Orchestra and others. His two-hour St. Matthew Passion was co-commissioned by eleven southeastern university choral departments, premiered in 2001 and performed at the 2010 ACDA- Southern Division Conference in Memphis.

His 1991 score Afro-American Fragments (Langston Hughes) for SATB, soprano and piano 4-hands was the winning work of the 1992 Roger Wagner Center for Choral Studies Choral Composition Competition. It appeared on Conspirare’s acclaimed 2004 CD …through the green fuse… More recently, he has written two similarly scored cycles on Langston Hughes’ poetry: The Dream Keeper (commissioned by Choral Arts Northwest [Robert Bode] and included on their award-winning 2009 CD Mornings Like This) and The Deepness of the Blue (2012 by Texas Lutheran University [Douglas Boyer]). All three Hughes cycles were released on the UMKC Chamber Choir’s recording entitled The Deepness of the Blue. TLU (Douglas Boyer) also commissioned Where Dreams Fly, settings of seven poems by Robert Bode. His Tunebook for woodwind quintet won the chamber music category in the 2012 Newly Published Music Competition sponsored by the National Flute Association. Black Pierrot (2016) on poetry of Langston Hughes was commissioned by the Univerity of Missouri (Paul Crabb), published by ECS and recorded for Centaur. Several commissions from Missouri State University (Cameron LaBarr) have included Easter, 1906 (published by and recorded for GIA),  Whisper of the Dance and Argentina Nights; in addition, several other scores are published by Walton/GIA  including The Song We Sing and Over Jordan.

Dr. Averitt’s music has been the subject of three doctoral treatises. In addition to Walton, his works have been published by ECS, Treble Clef, Trevco, Falls House, Little Piper, Galaxy, Fred Bock Music, Subito, ALRY Publications, Concordia and MMB Publications. He is Professor Emeritus of Music and formerly Coordinator of Composition at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia where he was on the faculty from 1973 to 2012.