William Skeen

Baroque cello

William Skeen serves as Principal Cellist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and Voices of Music. He is a founding member of the New Esterházy Quartet, Cantata Collective, and La Monica. William taught baroque cello and viola da gamba at the University of Southern California for two decades. Mr. Skeen has appeared as continuo cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and San Diego Opera; viola da gamba soloist multiple times with the Dallas Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Carmel Bach Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, the American Bach Soloists, and the Orquesta Nacional de México. He has also performed the role of Principal Cellist with American Bach Soloists, Pacific Music Works, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Musica Angelica, the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, and Bach Collegium San Diego.    

In 2012, William was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Small Ensemble Performance for “The Kingdoms of Castille” with El Mundo. In 2022, he received a second Grammy nomination for “American Originals” featuring Reginald Mobley and AGAVE.  Mr. Skeen has toured and recorded with many early music ensembles including Smithsonian Chamber Players, Musica Pacifica, El Mundo, AGAVE, the New Esterházy Quartet, La Monica, and Philharmonia Chamber Players. William has served on the faculty of the American Bach Soloists Academy, the San Francisco Early Music Society’s Baroque Workshop, and co-founded the SFEMS Classical Workshop with Kati Kyme.  He is currently on the faculty of the Berwick Academy at the Oregon Bach Festival.