William Wolfe

Instructor

Department

• Conservatory of Music

Contact Information

• wwolfe@capital.edu
• Conservatory Complex

Biography

Born and raised north of Chicago in Mundelein, Illinois, Billy Wolfe has performed as a freelance musician throughout the east coast and greater Midwest region for the past two decades. After spending roughly 10 years in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Billy recently moved to Columbus where he can be found performing with a wide array of Ohio musicians. He currently leads the Billy Wolfe Octet and The Tristano School Project as well as co-leading the nine-piece MW9 ensemble with Baltimore-based trumpeter Leo Maxey and the New Orleans trad/funk inspired District Brass alongside David Agee. Billy is also a member of the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, Vaughn Wiester's Famous Jazz Orchestra, and the avant-garde quartet, "Team Players".

Billy has had the pleasure of performing alongside many leading practitioners of his craft including Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, Oliver Lake, Charles McPherson, Billy Harper, Richie Cole, Jon Irabagon, Steve Wilson, Jeff Lederer, Caroline Davis, Greg Ward, Oran Etkin, Ralph Alessi, Seneca Black, Marquis Hill, Ryan Keberle, Warren Wolf, Florian Weber, Cory Christiansen, Michael Formanek, Luke Stewart, Matt Ulery, Joe Chambers, Matt Wilson, and Jeff Hamilton. Being attracted to large scale projects, Billy has had the good fortune of having worked with several esteemed large ensemble composers including Miho Hazama, Ethan Iverson, Brian Krock, Elliott Hughes, Nathan Parker Smith, Frank Karlberg, Jihye Lee, Ken Schaphorst, Anna Webber and Angela Morris.

Billy has been a faculty member of the Conservatory of Music since 2023 where he currently serves as the applied saxophone instructor, director of the University Big Band and area head of Jazz Studies.