William Godfree
Teaches Choir, Composition,
Conducting, Theory, Orchestra & Organ
About William
Director of Music
William studied in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he learned piano and composition. A musician for all seasons, he also plays the cello, and jazz is also among his talents. Following his study at Oxford, he started teaching in 1976 and was the Head of Music at Highfield School in Liphook until 2009. He has trained various choirs in South East England, as well as conducting the Dolmetsch Summer School Choir for some years.
When he is not teaching, he pursues a career as a composer, having written music for television, theatre, and the concert hall. His "Folia Variations" were premiered in 1985 and broadcast on Radio 3; his Requiem has been sung frequently in London, Paris, Norway, and elsewhere. His stage musical "Injuns," a wild-west reworking of The Tempest, was published in 1994. He has written several other stage musicals, cantatas for children, three suites for school orchestras, and the music for the BBC drama series 'The Little World of Don Camillo.' His piece for narrator and orchestra, 'Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,' was premiered in Spring 2002. In 2013, he produced a Children's Opera, "Childe Roland," with children from several Haslemere schools.
For relaxation, he plays music from the 20s and 30s with the Add Hock trio and performs in cabaret with Hampshire MP Michael Mates. He has been an invaluable member of the LMFL faculty for 20 years, directing the choir and orchestra, and teaching composition, theory, and musical theatre.
