William Bender
Applied Faculty, Viola

Music & Communication Building
216-687-2033

William Bender was appointed to the viola section of The Cleveland Orchestra in November of 2021.  Before Cleveland, he was Assistant Principal Viola of The Philharmonia Orchestra in London, England.  While in London, Mr. Bender played principal viola with The Philharmonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Echor Music, and the London Concertante. 

Mr. Bender is an enthusiastic performer of the chamber music repertoire, in addition to the orchestral.  He plays in a quartet with fellow TCO members Stephen Tavani, Yun-Ting Lee, and Dane Johansen. 

Hailing from Franklin, Tennessee, Mr. Bender studied with Kathryn Plummer at Vanderbilt University’s pre-college program, Heidi Castleman at The Juilliard School, and Robert Vernon at the Cleveland Institute of Music.  

Photo © Roger Mastroianni