Paul W. Whear composer / arranger

Whear Paul

Paul William Whear (November 13, 1925 – March 25, 2021) was an American composer, conductor, music educator, and double-bassist.

Whear (full name Paul William Whear) was born in Auburn, Indiana, and studied at Marquette University, the Catholic Jesuit University in Milwaukee where he received the B.N.S. After service as an officer in the U.S Navy, he attended DePauw University School of Music in Greencastle, Indiana, where he received the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received the Ph.D. He received the Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Marquette University in 2002.

He taught at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, as well as at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska. Later he became a Professor at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where he also was Composer in Residence and conductor of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra and the Huntington Chamber Orchestra. Later he retired as emeritus composer and conductor and received an honorary doctorate at Marquette University. He also taught composition and orchestration courses at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan.

He appeared as a guest conductor in the United States, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As a composer he won many prizes and distinctions, as well as a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the ASCAP Award. His works have been performed by leading orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Rochester Civic Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Lincoln Symphony, Charleston Symphony, the U.S. Navy Band and the Band of the Coldstream Guards, London.

Whear died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 95.