William Steinberg, born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg on August 1, 1899, in Cologne, Germany, was a distinguished German-American conductor. He showed early musical talent, excelling as a violinist, pianist, and composer. At the age of 13, he conducted his own choral/orchestral composition.
Steinberg studied at the Cologne Conservatory, where he was mentored by Hermann Abendroth in conducting. He began his professional career as a second violinist in the Cologne Opera orchestra but soon transitioned to conducting, eventually becoming the principal conductor there in 1924. He later held positions at the German Theater in Prague and the Frankfurt Opera.
In 1933, Steinberg was dismissed from his post by the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage. He moved to the British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) in 1936, where he co-founded the Palestine Symphony Orchestra (later the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) with Bronisław Huberman.
Steinberg emigrated to the United States in 1938 and worked as an assistant to Arturo Toscanini at the NBC Symphony Orchestra. He served as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from 1945 to 1952 and is best known for his long tenure with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1952 to 1976. He also held positions with the London Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Steinberg passed away on May 16, 1978, in New York City.