William Ryan (b. 1968) received a BM in music education from the State University of New 
York College at Potsdam, and MA and DMA degrees in music composition from the University of 
Illinois.  His compositions have been presented at numerous venues across the country and in 
Brazil and Australia.  He has received several awards for his compositions including an ASCAP
 Foundation Young Composers Grant, five ASCAP Standard Panel Awards, a Meet the Composer 
Education Program Grant, second prize in the Tampa Bay Composers' Forum chamber music 
competition, and was a finalist in the First International Electroacoustic Music Competition 
of Sao Paulo, Brazil.  He has taught at the University of Illinois, the Aaron Copland School of 
Music at Queens College, and is currently an Assistant Professor at Suffolk Community 
College where he teaches theory, aural skills, and conducts the contemporary music ensemble.

Point Common, for two-channel electronic tape, was composed in the composer's home studio 
in 1993.  Originally composed for dance, it has since been presented on over twenty concerts 
as a solo work.  The composition is based on several patterns which are individually quite 
static, but when presented in various combinations with one another result in very dynamic 
material.