LOCK, WILLIAM (b. 1932)

William Lock (b. Feb 27, 1932, Toronto, Canada) is a Canadian vocalist, composer, music educator, choral director and church musician. Upon graduation from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, Canada, he was awarded the Gold Medal for the highest marks in voice throughout the country that year. His bachelor's and master's degrees in voice were earned at the University of Minnesota's MacPhail College of Music. His major teachers were Dorothy Allen Park for voice, Edith Byquist Norbert and Dr. Charles C. Hirt for conducting and Halsey Stevens for composition. Further graduate studies in vocal pedagogy were taken under William Vennard at the University of Southern California.

 

Since 1963, William Lock has served on the music faculty at Biola University, La Mirada, California, as Professor of Voice and Church Music. Prior to this position, Lock taught for four years at the St. Paul Bible College (now renamed Crown College) and Pasadena College. He has also served as a Minister of Music in numerous churches in Minnesota and California concurrently with his teaching posts.

 

Dr. Lock has performed in every major city in Canada from Ottawa to Vancouver, throughout the United States, in Europe and throughout Southeast Asia. For some eighteen summers, William Lock presented voice recitals, conducted choirs and taught voice and church music in Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He has performed the role of "Elijah" in three Malaysian cities and performed the role of "St. Paul" to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mendelssohn's death. His performances have also been heard and seen on radio and television.