William Perkins


Riverbank, CA
Updated 9/23/2010

William Perkins is a 17-year-old pianist from a small town in the Central Valley of California called Riverbank.  At eleven, Will began taking piano lessons.  While he quickly started down the path of classical piano, his mother suggested learning “The Entertainer.” His piano teacher got a book with several ragtime pieces in it and soon Will was learning the Maple Leaf Rag. Full of ambition, he went to a local music store and picked up a book with several Scott Joplin pieces and quickly learned the original version of Maple Leaf Rag.  And as they say, the rest is history… 

Will also enjoys baseball, football, and is an avid Boy Scout. Will has played just about every instrument in the brass section, but has recently decided to focus solely on the piano. His love of all types of piano music can be seen by the venues at which he chooses to share his talent; whether it be at church or as the pianist for a recent High School Drama production of  “Alice in Wonderland.” In November of 2007, he placed first in the West Coast Ragtime Festival Youth Competition for his division playing Joseph F. Lamb's "Cottontail Rag."