Dr. Bill Clay is passionate about new music and his compositions have been performed nationally.  He has worked with many groups in the region, including the Arizona Flute Society, Arizona Chamber Opera, and the Society of Composers Inc. (SCI).  Dr. Clay currently acts as a co-producer in the Tasting Notes Contemporary Music Concert series (2016-present) which collaborates with many composers and performers from the region.

Dr. Clay’s other passion is music pedagogy.  His emphases at the college level include theory, composition, Contemporary Music, and Heavy Metal.  He is interested in the fusion of techniques from progressive and math metal with contemporary music.  He is a faculty associate teaching Aural Skills and Freshmen Seminar at the Arizona State University School of Music.  His passion for teaching also extends to his private instruction work. Through Bill Clay Music LLC, Dr. Clay strives to utilize his experience to bring high quality education to students of all ages, with an emphasis on inclusion of those with learning differences. 

Dr. Clay’s published work can be found in the two part compilation 100 Greatest Bands of All Time (ABC-CLIO) as well as a guitar work entitled Music Box in the SCI Journal of Music Scores, Vol. 42.  Dr. Clay remains an active performer in the Phoenix area.  He has been a founding member of Valley Guitar Duo since 2016 and is an experienced performer of new music, having performed his own works nationally.