William Lenihan

Teaching Professor and Professor of the Practice, Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Music
Washington University in St. Louis

William Lenihan teaches Jazz Theory, Jazz Improvisation, and both Jazz and Classical Guitar. As an active performer and composer, his extensive career includes playing jazz and classical music across the U.S. and Europe, as well as participating in classical guitar recitals and performing with ensembles such as the Grammy-award winning Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and The New Music Circle. His studio contributions span numerous film and television soundtracks. In the jazz world, Lenihan has performed in major cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and across Europe, collaborating with artists like Marc Copland, John Patitucci, Ralph Towner, Dave Weckl, Michael Brecker, Ron Carter, Bob Brookmeyer, Chick Corea, and others. He also directs the Jazz at Holmes concert series, which features international jazz musicians like Dave Liebman, Pat Martino, John Scofield, and Gary Peacock. Lenihan studied jazz under Richard Beirach, Ralph Towner, and Gary Peacock, and attended composition masterclasses with Pierre Boulez, Nicholas Slonimsky, Henry Mancini, Bruce Broughton, Jerry Goldsmith, and others. As a composer for film and multimedia, he has worked on projects with notable filmmakers including George Lucas, Ron Howard, and David Wheatley, and for networks like PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, and The Discovery Channel. His compositions have been used in trailers for films such as James Bond's "License to Kill." Lenihan is also an author of five books on music theory, guitar, and improvisation.