William Roper is a multi-disciplinary artist residing in Los Angeles. His experience ranges from the symphony stage to free improvisation groups. He has toured Europe, North and South America, and Japan as a soloist and with ensembles. His musicianship is represented on over 60 recordings, including twelve as leader and co-leader. He has played or recorded with numerous artists and ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Elton John, Leon Russell, Yusef Lateef, Michiyo Yagi, James Newton, Bobby Bradford, Francis Wong, Horace Tapscott, Anthony Braxton, Douglas Ewart, Daisuke Fuwa, Michael Vlatkovich, Vinny Golia, Wadada Leo Smith, Tim McGraw, Glenn Horiuchi and many others. In addition, he has played on several major motion picture soundtracks.
Roper has received several awards from organizations such as NEA, California Arts Council, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, Meet the Composer, American Music Center, American Composers Forum, Durfee Foundation, Broady Arts Fund and others. He has been a resident composer at the Djerassi Institute in California and the Oberfaelzer Kuenstlerhaus in Bavaria. He has been an Artist Fellow in Japan of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission.
As a composer he has fulfilled commissions for the Gloria Newman Dance Theater, Dance L.A., SASSAS, among others. His compositions have been performed in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Click here for a listing of Roper’s compositions.
He creates works that merge music, stage performance, spoken word and the visual arts. These works, whether site-specific, for the concert hall, theater, gallery, digital platforms or recordings, explore histories of place, ethnic and cultural groups, and self-history. They map his movement through these landscapes. In a sense, he is a cartographer.
In addition to his own work he has collaborated with such artists as Jackie Apple, Linda Austin, Bob Carroll, Heidi Duckler, John Fleck, Anna Homler, Scott Kellman, Dan Kwong, Jeff McMahon, Joseph Mitchell, Betty Nash, Gloria Newman, Rudy Perez, Will Salmon, Joseph Santarromana, Eve Stabolepsy and Bernie White.
As a visual artist his media are painting, assemblage, video and performance art. His work has been exhibited in the United States and Europe.
