Maestro bill doherty biography graphic organizer

Bill Doherty has built his career around a simple tenet: Music makes a difference.

The Sumter County resident has one of Central Florida’s most powerful voices. He’s also a conductor, a composer, a pianist, a voice teacher and a coach.

A native of upstate New York, Bill attended The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music before moving to Orlando in his early 20s.

He founded Central Florida Lyric Opera in 1988 and has taught opera and voice to career-oriented young singers who went on to achieve success around the globe.

Bill’s talents scored him big jobs in The Villages, too.

“When they built the Church on the Square, I was asked to direct the TV program entitled Sunday Celebration service and took on that position for 15 years,” says Bill, who has lived in The Villages since 2016. “I’m also music director at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church so I’m there for mass every morning.”

He continues to produce shows in The Villages at the Savannah Ce