Dr. William Paul Freeman is an organist, music director, and educator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Billed on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Guy Show with Lino Rulli as the future of Catholic church music. An accomplished liturgical organist and conductor, Freeman is the Director of Music and Business Manager at Guardian Angel Cathedral, the Director of Music and Liturgy at Saint Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, and the Organist for the Traditional Latin Mass Society of Las Vegas.
As the Director of Music and Organist for the Metropolitan Cathedral, William leads a music program of professional musicians. His role extends beyond liturgies within the cathedral’s walls, as he has also been responsible for music at ordinations into the episcopacy, priesthood, and diaconate. His artistic leadership was instrumental in the Mass of Canonical Establishment of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas in October 2023, where he served as the Co-director and Organist. His ability to manage diverse musical programs, musicians, and events showcases his versatility and adaptability, making him highly sought after as a consultant, clinician, and guest artist in Roman Catholic church circles.
To commemorate Guardian Angel Cathedral’s 60th anniversary in 2023, William recruited and prepared a 50-voice choir from across the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. This ensemble performed music related to the Catholic understanding of angels and recorded them for a 40-minute video presentation, including spoken reflections, oral history, and musical meditations. In addition to his role as a musician on the project, Dr. Freeman served as the executive producer for this presentation, interviewing, recording, and ultimately editing the package for YouTube.
Since arriving in Las Vegas, Dr. Freeman has led and transformed the music and liturgical activities at Saint Anthony of Padua. From its humble beginnings in a high school auditorium to its current parish hall building, he has built the music program from the ground up. Today, Saint Anthony of Padua’s music program stands as a beacon of innovation in the Archdiocese of Las Vegas, recognized for pioneering antiphonal propers in the Mass as prescribed by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, incorporating ancient chant into the liturgy alongside music written in the past decade, and establishing the parish’s musical brand on social media. The parish’s Children’s Choir is the only children’s group in the region that teaches Latin and how to sing Neumatic Notation.
As a true testament to the program’s success, Catholics from across the city have joined the music program at Saint Anthony of Padua, citing reverence, dignified worship, and psalmody as the impetus to drive—in some cases—over a 100-mile roundtrip. A natural educator, William incorporates liturgical, theological, and historical catechesis and musical pedagogy into every rehearsal. Since 2021, Freeman has written a weekly column in the church bulletin.
Dr. Freeman’s commitment to education is evident in his role as a former high school music teacher. As the Director of Guitar and Harmonized Instruments at Mojave High School, a Tier I, Title I severely at-risk school, he increased membership in the school’s guitar program by 250% during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He employed culturally responsive musical techniques that improved student engagement, which ultimately led to an invitation for his students to perform for the 2018 State Superintendents’ Conference held in North Las Vegas, Nevada. His efforts to bring culturally responsive and technically relevant musical experiences to his students were recognized with a nomination for a GRAMMY Foundation Music Educator Award, a testament to his passion and dedication to making music accessible to all.
Williams’s extensive professional affiliations, including the American Guild of Organists, Music Teachers National Association, National Association for Music Education, National Pastoral Musicians, Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, and the American Choral Directors’ Association, demonstrate his deep involvement and commitment to the field. As the founding chapter director for the Archdiocese of Las Vegas National Pastoral Musicians Chapter and the current Dean of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, his leadership and expertise in sacred music are widely recognized throughout the community.
His educational background, which includes musical and liturgical studies at the Eastman School of Music, the University of Notre Dame, George Mason University, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas, further solidifies his position as a respected authority in music and education.
His primary teachers were Roland E. Martin, Frank Scinta, Larry Eason, and Carole Harris. Dr. Freeman participated in the prestigious Summer Conducting Institute at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied with Neil Varon.
In addition to his work as a sacred music conductor, Dr. Freeman has conducted various community ensembles, including a sold-out run of Stephen Sondheim’s musical thriller Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with the Little Theatre Company in Buffalo and the Williamsville Community Wind Ensemble.
Freeman has performed in some of the nation’s most respected venues, including the Chautauqua Institute and Kleinhans Music Hall. William has performed under the batons of JoAnn Falletta, Robert Duerr, Yoav Talmi, Matthew Kraemer, Lowell Graham, and Dennis M. Layendecker. As a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, he has performed alongside Mikhail Svetlov, Mary Wilson, Robert Breault, Timothy Jones, Doug LeBreque, Anne Runolsson, Virginia Woodruff, and Rob Evan.
His performances have been broadcast internationally by NPR, CNN, Fox News, and EWTN. In 2016, he was featured on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Guy Show with Lino Rulli.
Before moving to Las Vegas, William was a liturgical musician in the Diocese of Buffalo. He was the Organist and Assistant Director of Music at Infant of Prague Roman Catholic Church in Cheektowaga, New York. He was also a musician at historic Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church which was founded in 1836 by St. John Neumann. In addition to these positions, William served as a substitute musician at dozens of Catholic parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, including Christ the King Chapel at Canisius College, the Mercy Center, and St. Philip the Apostle. William was the winner of the 2011 Msgr. Henry Kawalec Organ Competition sponsored by the Church Musicians’ Guild of Buffalo. Bishop Edward Kmiec recognized William for his service to the people of the Diocese of Buffalo with the Manus Christi Award.
Freeman was the Minister of Music at Cleveland Drive Presbyterian Church in Cheektowaga and a Williamsville United Methodist Church accompanist. Since moving to Las Vegas, William has worked as an organist at St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church and Grace-in-the-Desert Episcopal Church.
Dr. Freeman holds an undergraduate degree in music and business from The Canisius College of Buffalo. He has a Certificate of Roman Catholic Theology in Liturgy with a Liturgical Music concentration from the University of Notre Dame. Freeman holds an Educational Specialist degree and a Doctor of Education from Saint Leo University in Florida. He graduated with academic distinction from National University with a Master of Education. William is also a graduate of Western Governors University with a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Administration and a Master of Business Administration.
