While growing up in Central Alabama, William Price, D.M.A., relished opportunities to collaborate with his fellow students and friends on musical projects. From writing percussion parts for the marching band at Jemison High School to playing drums in local bands, Price was constantly making music with other people.

“It was always a good feeling to be able to contribute to the overall songwriting or composing process,” said Price, now Professor in the UAB Department of Music.

As a teenager, Price was an avid music listener too, often enjoying genre-defying artists that challenged the ways in which he thought about and wrote music. One artist that profoundly influenced him was Frank Zappa.

“I started analyzing his music. How does it work? What are the cultural influences within his music?” said Price. “He’s influenced by a lot of different music: rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, early doo wop, and classical—that spoke to me as well.”

As Price examined these “stylistic dichotomies,” he began to discover other artists who also transcended labels, including the post-modern composer John Zorn and, later in life, Tom Waits.

Eventually, Price brought his musical talents and scholarly interests to the University of North Alabama where he studied music education. After completing his bachelor’s degree at UNA, Price enrolled in Louisiana State University and pursued his Master of Music in Music Composition. He continued his studies at LSU and eventually earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Composition in 2004.

After LSU, Price moved back to Alabama and continued composing while also serving as an adjunct instructor at the University of Montevallo. Around this time, he joined the Birmingham Art Music Alliance where he met Mike Angell, former Associate Professor of Music Technology at UAB. Price was familiar with UAB because his father, uncle, and wife all studied at the institution, and, during his conversation with Angell, he learned that a new position was about to open in the Department of Music.

“[Angell] said, ‘Well, our theory professor is retiring and we’re going to open it up to a visiting professor search, and you should apply for it,’” said Price. “I applied for the job… and it worked out well and they offered me the position. I was a visiting assistant professor for a year. Then, they opened it up to a full-time tenure-earning position. 17 years later, I’ve still been in the position. UAB is a good place to be.”

During his nearly two-decade career at UAB, Price has taught a range of courses (including music theory, music composition, and orchestration) and actively conducted research. In addition, Price has composed music for several of his colleagues in the Department of Music. His most recent collaborative project is with James Zingara, D.M.A., Associate Professor in the department and a world-class trumpet player.

“Jim has been a great collaborator,” said Price. “He said, ‘Hey, would you mind writing something for piccolo trumpet and electronics?’”

Electroacoustic music compositions are often built with a computer and later performed in a concert hall. Price liked the idea of combining live instruments with samples and other pre-recorded elements, so he agreed to compose the piece which is now titled “Hit and Run.” When composing the piece, Price notes that he found inspiration from many different sources, including ambulance sirens.

“I started incorporating things that sounded a little bit like an ambulance,” said Price. “As the trumpet goes up and then back down, the general contour of the trumpet line alludes to a siren—not a literal representation of the ambulance but something similar to it.”

Although Price is still tweaking the balance of the live version of “Hit and Run,” he has enjoyed watching Zingara perform the piece recently. Specifically, Zingara shared the composition at the 2021 National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Conference in Denton, Texas; this year’s Pensacola ComposerFest at Pensacola State College; and at a recent faculty recital in the Hulsey Recital Hall at UAB.

As Price looks ahead, he sees plenty of opportunities to collaborate with more musicians at UAB and across the country. It is the same spark that brought him to music in the first place. He is currently editing a new piece for solo clarinet with Denise Gainey, D.M.A., Professor of Music and Associate Chair in the Department of Music, and composing a new work for the UAB Chamber Trio.

“I’ve grown more as a composer and as an artist when I’ve collaborated with other musicians,” said Price. “In the end, I’ve learned more from collaborating with my colleagues at UAB and outside of UAB than anything.”

Explore the following the videos to hear some of Price’s compositions:

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