William Henry Curry has conducted virtually every major orchestra in America. His life story of musical excellence – and of the thousands of students he has taught and mentored – is an inspiration.
At UNC Greensboro’s December 2024 Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, Maestro Curry was presented an honorary degree for his extraordinary accomplishments and trailblazing career.
At age 15, he made his debut as a conductor and started composing. After attending the Oberlin Conservatory, Curry became Assistant Conductor of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. At age 21, when the conductor fell ill, Curry made his last-minute debut directing Beethoven’s “9th Symphony,” a performance hailed by critics. He then embarked on a career conducting major orchestras throughout the United States and overseas. His engagements have included the Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Detroit, and Atlanta Symphonies as well as the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Thailand, and the National Orchestra of Taiwan.
He has held Resident Conductor posts with the Baltimore Symphony, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra and has served as Associate Conductor of the Indianapolis and Atlanta Symphonies. His engagements have included opera and ballet.
In 1988, Maestro Curry became the only unanimous first prize winner of the prestigious Leopold Stokowski Conducting Competition, which led to his debut at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra. He was also conductor for the Grammy-nominated recording of Anthony Davis’s opera “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X.”
Over the last quarter century, his impact on the arts in North Carolina has been remarkable. From 1998 to 2016, he was the Resident Conductor and Summerfest Artistic Director of the North Carolina Symphony. Since 2009, he has been the Durham Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director and Conductor – becoming the first African American conductor to hold a music directorship in the American South.
His outreach has included conducting over a thousand concerts for this state’s public-school students.
He was honored by the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and received the City of Raleigh Medal of the Arts. This year, Governor Cooper appointed him to the North Carolina Arts Council, and he received the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award, for his exceptional contribution in the fine arts.
At the ceremony, UNCG Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., noted that Curry lived up to the motto of UNCG, “Service,” and his distinguished career was obviously possible not just due to talent, but because of the standards he set for himself and countless hours of hard work.
In concluding his remarks, the Chancellor said, “Through tremendous determination, you have made an indelible mark on the music world, conducting more than 40 orchestras across the United States and abroad. The breadth of your achievements is remarkable.”
See a video recording of the ceremony here.
By Mike Harris, University Advancement
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications