Bio

Will Yager is a versatile bassist/improviser committed to experimental music, improvisation, and collaborating with living composers in the creation of new solo and chamber repertoire for the double bass. He is a founding member of LIGAMENT, a duo with soprano Anika Kildegaard; Wombat, an improvising trio with Justin Comer and Carlos Cotallo Solares; and Terns, a new duo with flutist Sasha Ishov Performance highlights include appearances at Bang on Can’s Long Play Festival, Big Ears Festival, University of Iowa Center for New Music, International Society of Bassists Convention, SPLICE Festival, High Zero Festival, Experimental Sound Studio’s Quarantine Concerts, Omaha Under the Radar, SEAMUS National Conference, Constellation Chicago’s Frequency Series, and more. Yager is also a founding member and currently serves on the board of the nonprofit organization Bass Players for Black Composers.

As members of LIGAMENT, Anika Kildegaard and Will Yager have premiered many new works and have an upcoming album of pieces written expressly for the duo. Notable performances include appearances with No Exit New Music (Cleveland), the Johnstone Fund for New Music, University of Northern Iowa New Music Festival, University of Georgia New Music Festival, Kansas City Contemporary Music Festival, and Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project’s Re:Sound. Recent concert seasons have included residencies at the University of Idaho and University of Iowa, collaborations with the composition department at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, and tours of the midwest and east coast.

Wombat, along with Justin Comer and Carlos Cotallo Solares, is an improvising trio dedicated to experimental and intermedia performance. Wombat has performed at the Oh My Ears Festival (Phoenix, AZ), MOXsonic Experimental Electronic Music festival, the University of Iowa Center for New Music, and tours across the country. Wombat has several self-produced recordings available on Bandcamp, including their most recent recording To search for a rider destroyed / Go to the ant, thou sluggard. Will is also an active jazz musician and has performed with Gregory Tardy, Damani Phillips, Mark Boling, and others in the Iowa and Tennessee regions. He recently an recorded an album with longtime collaborators Geoffrey Dean and Hunter Deacon slated for release in 2026 with Cellar Music Group.

Terns recently gave their debut concert at Constellation Chicago with a program that featured works by Silvia Borzelli, Beat Furrer, Martin Dalby, and the premiere of a new work by Christine Burke. Their upcoming season includes new collaborations with composer Michael Hersch and performances in Chicago, Baltimore, and the University of Iowa.

In addition to his varied performance activity, Will is a devoted educator. In the fall of 2024, he began teaching double bass at the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to his position at UNI, Will taught at the University of North Alabama and Maryville College. He will join the faculty of the Austin Chamber Music Center’s Summer Workshop in 2026. Will holds degrees from the University of Iowa, University of Tennessee, and Maryville College. 

Will plays a modern double bass by Chris Threlkeld-Wiegand.

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