William Lucas

A member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra trumpet section since May 1988, William Lucas was born and raised in the Detroit metropolitan area. He attended Plymouth High School and the University of Michigan, where he was enrolled in both the schools of engineering and music. Throughout the years he has performed as a freelance musician in the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas, and he served as Associate Principal Trumpet of the Toledo Symphony prior to his appointment in Detroit.

An active member of the freelance, jazz, and chamber music communities in metropolitan Detroit, Lucas has appeared as a jazz soloist in many popular jazz clubs and nightspots of Vail, CO, as well as the Detroit and Montreux, Switzerland Jazz Festivals. A prolific arranger for small ensembles, he is frequently called upon to compose trumpet fanfares for local commemorations. Lucas’s arrangements for brass have been performed by Celli Jam, composed of members of the DSO cello section.

Lucas has been on the faculties at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, where he served as the director of the Wayne State University Brass Ensemble.

In his spare time, Lucas enjoys composing music, playing jazz, mountain biking and playing tennis. He also coaches professionals in their preparation to take symphony orchestra auditions.