Bill Ochs

Bill Ochs (1946–2016) was one of the leading teachers and performers of the Irish traditional music revival in America that began in the 1970s. He was a tireless advocate for the legitimacy of the tin whistle as a serious instrument, and of the music of Clare whistle legend Micho Russell. And Bill was personally responsible for keeping the uilleann piping tradition alive in New York. Born to a Jewish family in New Jersey, Bill was entranced by the sound of the uilleann pipes when he heard the music of Liam O’Flynn. But by the early 1970s, there was almost no one in America to whom he could turn for help in learning the instrument. Rebuffed by Tom Busby in New York, he studied with Tom Standeven of Philadelphia and journeyed to Ireland to receive guidance from Willie Clancy and Liam O’Flynn. Bill became a more-than-proficient player and was recruited by Mick Moloney as the first uilleann piper to perform with The Green Fields of America troupe. He also served as a piping mentor to Jerry O’Sullivan, Tim Britton and many younger pipers. When the Irish Arts Center was launched in 1976, Bill headed the music department and launched a four-decade career as a teacher of the tin whistle. He published a popular tutor, The Clarke Tin Whistle and produced a double-CD of music by Micho Russell, as well as Ireland’s Whistling Ambassador, a video documentary on Micho.