William Bergsma papers, 1941-1986

William Bergsma was a composer and professor of music at the UW. Bergsma was born in Oakland, California in 1921. He attended Stanford University from 1938 to 1940 and completed his B.A. and M.A. at the Eastman School of Music in 1943. From 1946 to 1963 he served on the faculty of The Juilliard School in a variety of roles, most notably as chair of the composition department. From 1963 to 1971, Bergsma was chair of the School of Music at the University of Washington, where he remained as professor after retiring from administration.

Bergsma composed works for symphony orchestra, opera, chamber ensembles, solo instruments and choral groups. He received numerous honors and awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation. In 1992, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.