William C. Byrd
William C. Byrd
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William C. Byrd (1925 – 1974)
Composer, Conductor University of Michigan-Flint Music Department William C. Byrd is one of Flint’s greatest unknown musical talents. He was a composer, conductor, and promoter of the Flint Symphony Orchestra and was involved with artistic and musical pursuits all over Flint. He is especially remembered for bringing the gift of music to children in Flint through education, summer camps, and outreach. William Byrd was born in Mt. Healthy, Ohio, near Cincinnati in 1925. He studied music in childhood and participated in the Cincinnati Post Music Contest in 1934. Byrd was not born into a wealthy family and was able to study music thanks to people who recognized his natural talent. He went on to attend the College of Music in Cincinnati on scholarship and was appointed chief conductor of the College’s orchestra, chorus, and opera department. He met his first wife, Mary Margaret St. John (nee Sutton) at the College. She studied violin and would end up playing for the Flint Symphony Orchestra. She was deeply involved in Flint music for many decades after Byrd’s passing and has only recently retired. Byrd also served as conductor for the Cincinnati Music Drama Guild, the Cincinnati Little Symphony, and the Lima Symphony in Lima, OH. |
Byrd first came to Michigan one summer as a student at the Interlochen, Mich. National Music Camp where he conducted Three Dances from "The Bartered Bride" and Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. He eventually studied as a guest composer to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under famous Swedish conductor and composer Evert Sixten Ehrling. Ehrling recognized Byrd's talent and allowed him to conduct a summer concert. In attendance was the arts editor of the Flint Journal who recommended Byrd to the Flint Symphony after seeing the performance. Byrd became the first professional conductor of the Flint Symphony in 1966 and helped the symphony transition from an amateur to a professional orchestra. He also became the musical director of the Musical Performing Arts Association, the then governing unit of the Flint Symphony, in 1967. In 1968 Byrd became staff conductor of Overture to Opera, now the Michigan Opera Theater. The Flint Symphony became the resident orchestra for the Michigan Opera Theater with Byrd as Conductor.
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In 1971, Byrd was named artistic director of the Flint Institute of Music. He became involved with the St. Cecilia Society in Flint and their youth music contest. St. Cecelia Society named the contest after Byrd and donated to a trust fund to re-launch the competition with the Flint Institute of Music. It still bears his name today as the William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition. He was also the director of the Genesee Fine Arts Camp in 1972. His own children were also heavily involved in Music. Byrd had two daughters with his wife and fellow musician Margaret St. John. His daughter Melinda dabbled in music but moved on to other interests while his other daughter Alesia still plays with the Flint Symphony Orchestra today.
On Monday, July 8th, 1974, Byrd was conducting a Flint Symphony Orchestra Pops concert in Willson Park. At around 9:15 PM Byrd, who had suffered a heart attack that January, suffered a massive heart attack while preparing to conduct the final song of the night, a medley from "Jesus Christ Superstar." He died on the way to St. Joseph Hospital in Flint. In 2019, Alesia Byrd contacted the Genesee Historical Collections Center to donate her father’s impressive collection of journals, scrapbooks, photos, and composed music. In addition to Byrd’s original works, including his magnum opus ‘Canticle of Life’, the donation contained hundreds of complete orchestral scores. This donation represented thousands of dollars worth of sheet music and part of the donation was transferred to the University of Michigan-Flint Music Department. A concert in Byrd’s honor was planned for April 2020 which unfortunately was canceled due to the pandemic but is sure to be rescheduled to honor a musician who is still supporting the new generation of musicians.
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Willson Park Band Stand where William C. Byrd collapsed from a heart attack, 1974
William C. Byrd with bride Mary Margaret St. John (nee Sutton) |
Written by Colleen A. Marquis
About Colleen: She is an archivist at the University of Michigan-Flint, in the Francis Willson Thompson Library. She is also a board member of the GCHS, serving as the Archivist.
About Colleen: She is an archivist at the University of Michigan-Flint, in the Francis Willson Thompson Library. She is also a board member of the GCHS, serving as the Archivist.
