M. William Karlins

M. William Karlins (1932–2005) was an American contemporary composer and music educator, Harry N. & Ruth F. Wyatt Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University, and a member of the American Composers Alliance. He obtained both B.M. and M.M. degrees from Manhattan School of Music and earned a Ph.D. degree from the University of Iowa in 1965. Some of Karlins' notable composition teachers were Frederick Piket, Richard Hervig, Stefan Wolpe, and Vittorio Giannini. Ranging from large-scale orchestral to chamber and solo pieces, his music is widely performed in the United States and abroad – particularly saxophone compositions. Karlins had been commissioned by The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, double bass player Bertram Turetzky, saxophonist Frederick L. Hemke, and many other prominent ensembles and musicians. In 1967, M. William Karlins joined the Northwestern faculty. Throughout his teaching career, Karlins mentored Augusta Read Thomas, Maggi Payne, David Gaines, and a few other distinguished artists. He lectured at the Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem in Budapest and Hochschule für Musik in Vienna in the nineties, and served as a visiting composer at various American and Canadian universities. A few renowned ensembles have included Karlins' works in their repertoire over the years, such as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Nürnberger Symphoniker, Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Quintet of the Americas, The Fine Arts Quartet, Gaudeamus String Quartet, Boston Composers String Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Lydian String Quartet, The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and Vienna Saxophone Quartet.