William Remsen Strickland (January 25, 1914 – November 17, 1991) was an American conductor and organist, noted for his lifelong promotion of American composers.^[1][2]

Strickland was born inDefiance, Ohio, on January 25, 1914. As a young organist, he served at several prominent Episcopal churches in New York, including Christ Church (Bronxville),Calvary Church (Manhattan),^[2] andSt. Bartholomew's Church (Manhattan).^[3]

Strickland served as guest conductor for theCathedral Choral Society of Washington, D.C. duringWorld War II. In 1946 he helped found and went on to conduct theNashville Symphony for five seasons, until 1951.^[1][2] Later he conducted theOratorio Society of New York.^[2]

Strickland was noted for his performances and recordings ofcontemporary classical works by American composers such asSamuel Barber,John J. Becker,Jack Beeson,William Bergsma,John Alden Carpenter,Henry Cowell,Norman Dello Joio,Vivian Fine,William Flanagan,Miriam Gideon,Irwin Heilner,Alan Hovhaness,Mary Howe,Charles Ives,Frederick Jacobi,Werner Josten,Homer Keller,Harrison Kerr,Edward MacDowell,Douglas Moore,Horatio Parker,Julia Perry,Walter Piston,Wallingford Riegger,Richard Rodgers,Carl Ruggles,Roger Sessions,Leo Sowerby,Louise Talma,Francis Thorne,Lester Trimble,David Van Vactor,Robert Ward, andElinor Remick Warren. He also conducted and recorded inIceland,Norway,Poland, Sweden,Finland and Japan.^[1] In 1957, theNational Music Council recognized Strickland with an award for presenting 28 European concerts of American works,^[4] and in 1961 theAmerican Composers Alliance honored him with itsLaurel Leaf Award.^[5] In 1962–1963, he was Chief Conductor of theIceland Symphony Orchestra.^[6] He made several recordings for CRI (Composers Recordings, Inc.), including works by Henry Cowell, Charles Ives, and the Icelandic composerJón Leifs.

On November 17, 1991, Strickland died of lung cancer at his home inWestport, Connecticut, at the age of 77.^[1] A bequest from his estate helped to establish the William R. Strickland Commission Endowment Fund, which assists in the sponsorship of new musical compositions.^[7] His official archives are held by theLibrary of Congress in Washington, DC^[8] and by theTennessee State Library and Archives inNashville.^[9]

• American male conductors (music)
• 1914 births
• 1991 deaths
• Musicians from Westport, Connecticut
• Deaths from lung cancer in Connecticut
• People from Defiance, Ohio
• American classical organists
• 20th-century American organists
• Classical musicians from Ohio
• 20th-century American conductors (music)
• 20th-century American male musicians
• American male classical organists

• CS1 Icelandic-language sources (is)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata