William McCorkle

Mr. McCorkle has been the director of the Rockbridge Choral Society for over 20 years. His mission for the choir has been to raise our level of musicianship and to have us perform works that are both educational and inspiring for our audiences.

A versatile conductor, keyboardist and composer, Mr. McCorkle has performed extensively throughout the eastern United States and Europe. His repertoire covers music of many styles and periods, and encompasses solo, chamber and concerto literature. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Amherst College, he holds graduate degrees from Yale University. As recipient of the Edward Poole Lay Fellowship, he spent two years of study, research and performance in France, working with Nadia Boulanger and William Christie. Mr. McCorkle has directed the Rockbridge Choral Society through twenty-four of its concert seasons, leading the ensemble in performances of oratorios and choral masterworks ranging from the baroque and classical masters to Poulenc and Britten, while also venturing into opera, folk and popular music.

Mr. McCorkle has been Organist/Director of Music at the Lexington, VA Presbyterian Church since 1979, where he has led choral performances of major works and has given frequent solo and chamber concerts. Mr. McCorkle's research has centered on 17th and 18th century vocal and keyboard styles, and he is well known for his expertise in keyboard realization and continuo playing. He is in demand as an accompanist and coach of vocal solo and choral repertoire. In recent years, he has turned his attention to composition, particularly of choral, solo vocal and instrumental music for liturgical use. He was inducted into honorary membership in Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership fraternity, at Washington and Lee University in 2001.