NW Missouri Times

Dr. William Richardson, a professor of music at Northwest Missouri State University, was recently honored for his service to a historical society and festival honoring a legendary band leader and musician. The Glenn Miller Birthplace Society (GMBS), during its annual event on June 7 in Clarinda, Iowa, presented Richardson with its lifetime achievement award. This award is given to society employees and other individuals who have contributed to the society’s mission and programs.

Richardson has been an active member of the GMBS Big Band, an ensemble comprising musicians throughout the United States, since the early 2000s. He has also served as a judge for the GMBS Music Scholarship competition for the last decade. The Northwest Jazz Ensemble, which Richardson conducts, is a frequent performer at the Glenn Miller Festival’s Big Band Breakfast.

A faculty member at Northwest since 1999, Richardson conducts jazz ensembles and teaches applied trumpet among other courses. He served as Northwest’s first Dennis C. Dau Endowed Professor of Music from 2018 to 2021 and was a visiting professor of trumpet as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010 at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, Latvia. Additionally, he is a longtime member of the St. Joseph Symphony Orchestra and performs with both the St. Joseph Big Band and The Phil Collins Experience.

Richardson earned his Bachelor of Music Education in instrumental music at the University of Central Missouri and a master’s degree at Florida State University. He holds a doctorate in trumpet performance from the University of Texas at Austin.