William Kanengiser is recognized as one of America's most brilliant guitarists. Born in Orange, New Jersey, Kanengiser studied at the University of California with Pepe Romero, Malcolm Hamilton and James F. Smith. He was named Outstanding Graduate of the School of Music upon the completion of both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He is a founding member of the Grammy awarded Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and also a member of the guitar faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles since 1983.

He participated in numerous guitar festivals and competitions and won First Prize of the 1987 Concert Artists Guild Competition as well as major international competitions in Toronto (1981) and Paris (1983). He is winner of two Solo Recitalist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

William Kanengiser developed a unique repertoire for his instrument, ranging from arrangements of Mozart, Handel, and Bartók to his innovative excursions into the music of Eastern Europe and the Caribbean. He has performed in recital and as guest soloist with orchestras in virtually every major American city, ranging from New York City’s Carnegie Hall to San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, as well as throughout Canada, Europe, and Asia. He is known for expanding the guitar repertory beyond the staples of guitar literature. He has performed and recorded works written for him by composers as diverse as Dusan Bogdanovic, Ian Krouse, and Brian Head, and has won consistent praise for his own transcriptions of scores from the traditional repertory.

His solo recordings are heard exclusively on the GSP label. His first recording won the INDIE award for the Best Classical Recording. Kanengiser's live studio concert DVD Classical Guitar and Beyond was released in October 2006 by Mel Bay Publications; the album also includes his now-infamous comedy imitation show from the 2005 Guitar Foundation of America Festival. He has also produced two popular Hot Licks instructional videos, recently reissued on DVD, Effortless Classical Guitar and Classical Guitar Mastery. Elsewhere in the media, William Kanengiser for two years hosted his own weekly radio show on KKGO-FM in Los Angeles.

As a founding member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, William Kanengiser tours extensively throughout North America, Asia, and Europe, and has recorded for the GHA, Delos, and Sony Classical labels. LAGQ currently records exclusively for Telarc. Their 2001 Telarc release, LAGQ: Latin, was nominated for a Grammy, and their follow-up recording LAGQ's Guitar Heroes won a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album of 2004.

Beyond his work with LAGQ, William Kanengiser has performed chamber music at festivals and concerts with a wide range of noted artists and ensembles, including the Miami String Quartet, the Vermeer Quartet, flutist Marina Piccinini, pianist Mia Chung, violinist Maria Bachmann, and recorder artist Aldo Abreu. He has given master classes at conservatories and guitar festivals around the world.