Dr. Will Peebles teaches bassoon and courses in music history and theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is also the director of the WCU Low Tech ensemble, which performs on Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese gamelan. This year, Will is serving the School as Interim Head.

Will joined the faculty in August 1992. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Bassoon Performance from Michigan State University in August 1994. Will studied bassoon with Edgar Kirk (Michigan State University), Richard Beene (University of Michigan), and Robert Williams (Detroit Symphony). He studied oboe with Daniel Stolper (Michigan State) and oboe reed making with Peter Kjome (Grand Rapids Symphony).

Will's doctoral work focused on the historical development of bassoon fingering systems. His interest in this area has led him to develop a small collection of historical double reed instruments, ranging from reproductions of Renaissance instruments such as the krummhorn and rackett to antique bassoons from the early nineteenth century. Ultimately, he hopes to restore and maintain all of these instruments for performance.

Will maintains an active performing career with appearances in faculty recitals on campus and in the area. He plays regularly with the Asheville (NC) Symphony and has performed occasionally with symphonies in Charleston and Greenville (SC), Jacksonville (FL), Grand Rapids (MI), Augusta (GA), and the Charlotte, Western Piedmont (Hickory, NC), Brevard and North Carolina Symphonies. He was a member of the Savannah (GA) Symphony from 1991 until its untimely demise in the spring of 2003.

Before coming to Western Carolina, Will taught music history at Michigan State University, bassoon at Albion College, and played for nine years in the Grand Rapids Symphony. He also performed occasionally with orchestras all around Michigan, including the Lansing, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Detroit, Jackson, and West Shore Symphony Orchestras.

In his spare time, Will enjoys hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and photography. Weekends often find him out on the trail in the Smoky Mountain National Park or the Nantahala National Forest, hiking with students and colleagues.