William Kincaid (flutist)

William Morris Kincaid
William Kincaid in 1920
Born	(1895-04-26)26 April 1895 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Died	27 March 1967(1967-03-27) (aged 71) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Known for	Flute, Teaching
Movement	American Flute School
Spouse(s)	Helen Gooding Kincaid (b. 1894, d. 1965)

William Morris "Monty" Kincaid (26 April 1895 – 27 March 1967) was an American flautist and teacher.

Kincaid was born in Minneapolis but grew up in Honolulu, where he enjoyed diving for pennies in the harbor and learned the breath control that later served him well as a professional flutist.

In 1911, Kincaid went to New York, enrolling simultaneously in Columbia University and the Institute of Musical Art, where he studied flute with Georges Barrère. He received diplomas in 1914 and 1918, and performed in the flute section of the New York Symphony from 1914 to 1919. During World War I, Kincaid served briefly in the United States Navy, after which he returned to the New York Symphony. In 1920, he played solo flute with the New York Chamber Music Society.

After Leopold Stokowski dismissed André Maquarre during a rehearsal in April 1921, Kincaid was offered the principal flute position in the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he went on to hold for 40 seasons. He retired from the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1960 at the mandatory retirement age of 65.

In either 1924 or 1928 (sources vary), Kincaid joined the faculty of the newly established Curtis Institute of Music, where his four decades of teaching would have a profound impact on orchestral flute playing in the United States.

William Kincaid is sometimes referred to as the Grandfather of the American Flute School. At least 40 compositions were dedicated to him, and 87% of all professional flutists living in the United States in 2003 could trace their heritage (through one or more of their teachers) to Kincaid. Among Kincaid's many notable students were Julius Baker, Frances Blaisdell, Paul Lustig Dunkel, Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Katherine Hoover, John C. Krell, George Ellers Morey, Claire Polin, Elaine Shaffer, Felix Skowronek, John Solum, Mark Thomas, Albert Tipton, Robert Hugh Willoughby, and Charles Wyatt.