William D. Kelley (born in Weymouth, Massachusetts) is a composer, recording engineer, and multimedia artist based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His work spans experimental composition, free improvisation, sound installation, film, and performance, often blurring the boundaries between music and sound. He approaches sound as both structure and presence, something to inhabit as much as hear.

Kelley holds an MFA in Electronic Recording Media from Mills College, where he studied with Anthony Braxton, David Rosenboom, Larry Polansky, and Robert Ashley, and degrees in Composition and Physiological Psychology from the University of Massachusetts. His interdisciplinary background informs a practice that moves fluidly between acoustic, electronic, and found sound, with a long-standing commitment to collaboration and site-responsive work.

His compositions and multimedia projects have been presented at venues including DiverseWorks (Houston), the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Laguna Gloria Art Museum (Austin), Rice University, and the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge. These works range from immersive sound installations and electro-acoustic pieces to large-scale performances involving musicians, dancers, visual artists, and custom-built systems.

Since 2003, Kelley has served as Recording Engineer and Instructor at Louisiana State University’s School of Music, where he records and produces hundreds of performances annually and mentors student engineers. He is also the founder of Culture Candy, a Baton Rouge–based nonprofit that supported local creative communities through programming and advocacy.

Kelley continues to compose, perform, and improvise across disciplines, exploring sound as a social, physical, and poetic medium.