William Bender

William Bender grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, where he began studying viola in the pre-college program at Vanderbilt University with Kathryn Plummer. He later studied with Heidi Castleman at The Juilliard School and with Robert Vernon at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

From 2018 to 2021, Bender was based in London as Assistant Principal Viola of the Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen. An active chamber musician, he appeared regularly with the Philharmonia Chamber Players and contributed to the orchestra’s “Music of Today” series, collaborating on contemporary works. Bender also regularly played recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios and Air Studios.

In November 2021, Bender joined The Cleveland Orchestra. He is passionate about performing chamber music in the community and frequently appears with the Blossom Quartet, an ensemble of fellow Orchestra members Stephen Tavani, Yun-Ting Lee, and Dane Johansen.

As an educator, Bender has coached students at Oberlin College, Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, Trinity-Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, the Australian Youth Orchestra, and the Colombian Youth Philharmonic. He has also taught at Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Institute of Music Academy.