By Cynthia McFarland
Got Talent: Bill Doherty is Loving the Ride
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 Center and Sharon Performing Arts Center and throughout the world.
“We’ve been bringing opera to The Villages since 1994 and will be doing a full production of ‘Madame Butterfly’ in January 2025 at The Sharon,” says Bill.
In 2012, he wrote a Requiem Mass, which was commissioned by The Vatican. The world premiere was held in Jerusalem at what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ.
When live performances were canceled due to the pandemic, he and friend Angie Rose wrote the song “Change the World.” It circulated on the Internet before coming to the attention of the organizers of the Salzburg Festival in Austria, the famous festival featured in “The Sound of Music.”
Bill and Angie Rose performed the world premiere of the song at the festival, later performing it in Vienna and Munich. This March, Bill produced a concert based on the same concept at The Sharon in The Villages.
“I enjoy the fact that other people find inspiration and love through my music. I live a very charmed life,” he adds. “It’s God and an amazing web of beautiful people who make everything happen.”
Subscribe to his newsletter and stay informed about upcoming performances at https://centralfloridalyricopera.org/
"I fell in love with words early on and knew from fourth grade that I wanted to be a writer,” says Cynthia McFarland. A full-time freelancer since 1993 and the author of nine non-fiction books, her writing has earned regional and national awards. Cynthia lives on a small farm north of Ocala; her kids have fur and four legs
