William Masselos was an American classical pianist who was born in Niagara Falls, New York, in 1920. He achieved early professional recognition in 1938 after making a debut at The Town Hall in New York and is famous for his advocacy of contemporary music and for premiering the Piano Sonata No. 1 by Charles Ives. Masselos studied at the Institute of Musical Art under Carl Friedberg and Nelly Reuschel. In 1952, he made a debut with the New York Philharmonic performing Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto in D minor under the direction of Dimitri Mitropoulos. He subsequently collaborated with major orchestras and conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Monteux, and Eugene Ormandy. Masselos premiered significant piano works by the composers Aaron Copland, Ben Weber, and John Cage. His discography includes esteemed recordings for RCA Red Seal of Robert Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze and the sonatas of Brahms. Masselos died in New York City in 1992.
