Omar Williams with Professor Frank Campos
Performance/Music Education
To hear Omar Williams's trumpet, visit a practice room at 7:00 a.m. -- or sneak into the concert hall at midnight. "I get a kick out of practicing at odd times and in different places," Omar says. "Sometimes I even play in the dark, with the stage lights off."
A similar desire to "reach out and try everything" is what Omar likes best about Ithaca's School of Music. "The students and faculty are so open here," he says, "and the possibilities are endless." Those possibilities for Omar include playing in the jazz ensemble, working in the instrument repair lab, and learning American Sign Language in preparation for teaching music to hearing-impaired children.
Omar's enthusiasms take him off campus as well -- his jazz group has played in downtown Ithaca, and he recently spent part of a semester teaching young music students at a high school in nearby Binghamton. "Even though I came home taxed and exhausted every day, it was all worth it," Omar says. "It was a really great, eye-opening experience."
He found that coaching budding musicians had a profound impact on his own understanding of the art form. "Music is all about communicating and expressing yourself and your soul. You can get something by listening to anyone who plays, whether they're a famous musician or a young student. For each person I hear, I try to learn something about myself or trumpet playing in general."
His professor, Frank Campos, praises him as one of the most talented players he's seen in years, with a "rich, resonant, and powerful sound and a work ethic second to none." Omar, he believes, "has what it takes to be a professional."
Omar returns the compliment. "Frank has taught me to pay attention to the nuances, which is what divides the strong performers from the truly amazing ones. And Ithaca has taught me that if you practice, it will become instinct."
Practice, indeed: no matter where his eclectic interests might take him, you'll almost certainly find him at it -- at all hours of the day and night.