William Campbell '87 composes music for Academy Award nominated film

William "Bill" Campbell '87 served as the music composer for the film Hunger Ward, which received a 2021 Oscar nomination under the "Documentary: Short Subject" category.

William is a highly accomplished composer, performer and teacher, whose music may be heard over radio stations, at conferences and festivals, in concert halls, faith communities, movie theaters, dance and dramatic events. He was inducted into Salpointe Catholic's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in 2011.

Among his many accomplishments, William has composed the scores for full-length feature films and documentaries. His score for Sons & Daughters of Thunder (Fourth Wall Films) received the 2020 Award of Excellence from the Iowa Motion Picture Association. A long-time collaborator with film director Skye Fitzgerald, Campbell scored for the films Hunger Ward, which was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) in 2021, Lifeboat which was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) and a News & Documentary Emmy in 2019, and 50 Feet From Syria which was shortlisted for an Academy Award. He also writes for theater and dance, including Latina Dance Project's international touring show Coyolxauhqui ReMembers. Always open to fun projects, William wrote a completely different type of music for the zombie film Cadaver Christmas, with the soundtrack released through Howlin' Wolf Records. 

William is a member of ASCAP and CCLI, the American Composers Forum, and a past board member of the Iowa Composers Forum. He earned degrees from the University of Arizona (B.M.), the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (M.M.), and the University of Oregon (Ph.D.). His dissertation was Earth Mass, a contemporary ecological, liturgical expression. He has led contemporary music at churches for over 20 years, and is the Director of Contemporary Music at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa. A passionate educator, William teaches music theory, composition, technology and world music classes to future composers and musicians. Previously at Pima Community College and Missouri State University, he is Professor of Music Theory and Composition at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, was department chair for eight years, and served on faculty since 2005.

Read more about William's many accomplishments here.
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