It is indeed my pleasure to welcome you to my website.

I am Bill Koren, the String teacher and Orchestra Director at McKinley Middle Academic Magnet School for the Visual and Performing Arts.  I have been performing music, composing choral, band, and orchestral music, and teaching music for more than forty years. I have been teaching in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System since 1984.

I received my Bachlor of Music Degree from The Juilliard School of Music in New York City. I also took some graduate courses at Juilliard.

From 1967 through 1970 I was a Solo Specialist with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, N.Y. and thus fulfilled my military obligation and received an Honorable Discharge.

From 1970 to 1975 I was an Instructor of French Horn and High Brass at Georgia State Universtiy in downtown Atlanta.  I was also a freelance musician and solo performer with many orchestras throughout the Southeast and was engaged as a studio musician for many recording studios.

In 1975, I matriculated to Yale University and in 1977, I received my Master of Music Degree from Yale School of Music.  During these years, I freelanced throughout the Northeast, performing in Philidelphia, New York and Boston as a Soloist and with various Theater and Symphony Orchestras.

In 1978 I returned to Louisiana and played in the BRSO and other orchestras in the state.  Also, at this time I began teaching at a private school until I was hired as an Artist in Resident for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.  I began teaching orchestra and band at various East Baton Rouge Parish School in 1984.

 As a composer, I continue to write music and have had many of my works performed by the St. Joseph Cathedral Choir. For the Bicentanial of St. Joseph Cathedral, Fr. Frank Uter commissioned me to write a work for full choir and organ, "Tell The Children This" which was the openning choral work for the Bicentanial. In 2006, my string orchestra work, "Royal Entrance and March" was performed by the Distric IV, All Parish Orchestra.  On October 12th, 2007, at All Parish Orchestra String Camp, the students performed the world premier of my new work for strings, "Lamentation for NOLA."  I compose many of my musical compositions and studies to fit the needs and musical demands of the many students I teach each year. 

I look forward to continue teaching the many fine and outstanding students here at MMAMVPA.  Also, I invite my student's parents to contact me, through the school, if I can be of any help to them in working with thier children.

Bill Koren