William Somes

William Somes joined the Office of the Provost as a Senior Administrative Coordinator in February, 2025. He also works half-time providing administrative support to the Faculty Senate at UMaine and serves on the Constitution & Bylaws Committee as the Senate Parliamentarian. William is a University of Maine graduate (’21) and current master’s student studying violin performance in the School of Performing Arts. He holds a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in political science and economics from UMaine and a graduate certificate in environmental resource policy from George Washington University. His honors thesis explored the heterogenous economic impacts of the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program on rural and urban households in Maine.

As a graduate student, William hosted a podcast on public policy through the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at the George Washington University, where he interviewed guests such as Sarah Nichols (Natural Resources Council of Maine) and Christopher Smith (Chief of Staff to Treasury Secretary John Snow) on issues ranging from waste management to the Securities and Exchange Commission. He has written op-eds on a range of public policy topics for the Bangor Daily News and has had a novelette published in the Magazine of History & Fiction (defunct).

William is a founding member and first violinist of the Dirigo String Quartet, which was selected in 2025 by the DaPonte String Quartet to receive intensive coaching as its honors quartet for the 25-26 academic year. William has performed as a violinist, violist, and/or vocalist in venues like the Grand Ole Opry, Minsky Recital Hall, the Collins Center for the Arts, and Hammond Hall, as well as in many other communities, schools, and churches around the state. He regularly plays first violin with the Downeast Chamber Orchestra for seasonal operas and other concerts organized by the Winter Harbor Music Festival.

William has taught instrumental music in public and private schools in Washington, D.C. as a member of the Music Kids Teaching Faculty and has also managed private studios in Alachua, FL and Bangor, ME. As a Partnerships Associate with Music Kids, he developed dozens of partnerships with public and private schools across the largest cities in the U.S., helping bring educational programming in instrumental music to students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds.