William “Bill” Moyer, trombonist and personnel manager with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 35 years, died in December 2024. He was 96 years old.
Born in 1929, Bill Moyer attended Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio where he studied trombone with Arthur Williams and Thomas Cramer. In 1952, Moyer was hired as second trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra by music director Charles Munch. Sitting between principal trombonist Jacob Raichman (until 1955) or William Gibson (after 1955), and bass trombonist Kauko “Koko” Kahila, Moyer played thousands of concerts and a staggering number of recordings with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch, Pierre Monteux, and Erich Leinsdorf (over 180), and he recorded over 600 works with the Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Arthur Fiedler. In January 1964, Bill Moyer was the trombone soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Tuba mirum from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem in a Solemn Pontifical High Mass given at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. The service, held in memory of President John F. Kennedy—who was assassinated on November 22, 1963—was broadcast worldwide and seen and heard by over 23 million people.
After fourteen years playing second trombone in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bill Moyer took on the position of personnel manager with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1966 until his retirement in 1987. In 1982, Moyer founded Project STEP (String Training Education Program), a program that was established to provide training for string players from underrepresented communities. Since the establishment of the program, Project STEP graduates have gone on to careers as members of symphony orchestras, teachers, and soloists. Bill Moyer’s commitment to excellence on the trombone, as an orchestra manager, and as mentor to young players shaped three generations of musicians in Boston and around the world.
William “Bill” Moyer performing Tuba Mirum at the Kennedy Mamorial Mass, 1964.
