William Cedeño

Principal Flutist of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra since 2016, William Cedeño Torres, was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. His musical career began at the age of nine in the world-renown Venezuelan program El Sistema. In 2003, William was accepted into the Simón Bolívar Conservatory of Music and entered the studio of Miguel Pineda for flute and piccolo. Shortly after, he won the Principal Flute position in the Francisco de Miranda Orchestra. William moved to the United States at sixteen to attend Idyllwild Arts Academy as a post-graduate high school student under a full scholarship and in the studio of Sara Andon. In 2011, he was accepted into the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with a full scholarship and completed his undergraduate studies in the studio of Timothy Day, while also participating in masterclasses with teachers such as Emmanuel Pahud, Carol Wincenc, Robert Dick, Jean Ferrandis, and James Galway. He later attended Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music to pursue a Master of Music in Flute Performance with Leone Buyse.

In 2015, William attended the Aspen Music Festival on a full scholarship and in 2016 as the Flute Fellow. He toured South America in 2017 as a member of the Orchestra of the Americas. William joined the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara during the summer of 2018 and was selected as a Keston Max Fellow, later traveling to England to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, William performed Nielsen’s Flute Concerto with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing as guest Principal Flute with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, William has recently played as a section member with the London Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. His greatest musical accomplishments include winning the Berkeley Piano Club Competition, the Miami Summer Music Festival Concerto Competition, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition. William has attended the Lakes Area Music Festival for the past seven summers and was recently appointed as Flute Instructor at Augustana University.

In addition to music, William enjoys cooking and trying new foods, visiting family and friends around the world, watching and playing sports, and spending time with his wife Katherine and son Sebastian.