William Harvey currently serves as Principal Trumpet with both the Oakland Symphony and Opera San Jose. He is also a regular member of the California Symphony and the orchestras of Lamplighters Musical Theater, Festival Opera and the San Francisco Opera Center. As an early music performer, he performs with such period instrument ensembles as American Bach Soloists and Philharmonia Baroque. He has also been a faculty member at Patten and Santa Clara Universities.
Mr. Harvey was born in Berkeley, California, where he received his first trumpet lesson from Robert Chacona at Malcolm X School. While attending Berkeley High School he was a member of its award-winning Jazz Ensemble and also performed with the California High School All-Star Band at the Monterey Jazz Festival. At San Francisco State University, he studied trumpet with Donald Reinberg, and appeared as soloist with both the University Orchestra and Symphonic Band. He later transferred to Boston University where he studied trumpet with Roger Voisin and chamber music with members of the Empire Brass. His summers were spent performing at the Aspen Music Festival, the Chautuaqua Festival, Oakland Municipal Band, and Woodminster Summer Musicals.
Before graduating from Boston University (1986) he joined the Epic Brass Quintet of Boston, with whom he made frequent tours of the United States, recorded two albums, and as a result of winning the Shoreline Chamber Music Competition, performed a New York debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.
From 1991 to 1994 he held the position of Sub-principal Trumpet with the Cape Town Symphony in South Africa, with whom he performed the Haydn Trumpet Concerto. While in South Africa, he performed recitals in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and at the National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown, and recorded recitals which were broadcast on radio and television by the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
In the United States, Mr. Harvey has appeared as soloist with the California Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Ohlone Chamber Orchestra and the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra.
He resides in Oakland with his wife, violinist Josepha Fath.