William Kroll

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William Kroll (January 30, 1901 – March 10, 1980) was an American violinist and composer. He is best known for Banjo and Fiddle, a lively piece for violin and piano. Born in New York City, he died in Boston, Massachusetts, and made a lasting impact as both a performer and a chamber musician.

Kroll studied with Henri Marteau in Berlin (1911–1914) and later with Franz Kneisel and P. Goetschius at the Institute of Musical Art (1917–1922), where he gave his professional debut in New York. He toured Europe and the Americas as a soloist and as a member of ensembles such as the Elshuco Trio (1922–1929), the Coolidge Quartet (1936–1944), and the Kroll Quartet (1944–1969). He also taught at several institutions, including the Institute of Musical Art (1922–1938), Mannes College (1943), the Peabody Conservatory (1948–1967), Tanglewood (from 1949), the Cleveland Institute of Music (1964–1967), and Queens College beginning in 1969. After moving to Boston, he taught chamber music at Boston University until his death in 1980. One of his students was composer Awilda Villarini.