William Hakim has performed extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Praised for his “warmth of tone and musicality” (Leipziger Volkszeitung), he enjoys playing, writing, and arranging music in many styles. He has recorded for Albany Records, Decca, and Nonesuch for various artists including Renee Fleming; served as Billy Joel’s violist for his Madison Square Garden residency; had numerous TV appearances with Josh Groban; and toured the country with Branford Marsalis and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.
Mr. Hakim is a member of the Iris Orchestra in Memphis and the le Poisson Rouge Ensemble as well as serving as principal of the New York Symphonic Ensemble and the Glens Falls Symphony. A former member of the Hyperion String Quartet, he studied with John Graham at the Eastman School of Music, Samuel Rhodes at Juilliard, and with Paul Neubauer at the Graduate Center of CUNY where he is pursuing a doctorate and researching improvisation methods for classically trained musicians. Mr. Hakim served on the faculty at Brevard Music Center and is on the faculty of Seton Hall University and Skidmore College.