William Purefoy has sung in opera and concert around the world, appearing with the English Concert, Sixteen and the Symphony of Harmony and Invention, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, City of London Sinfonia, New London Consort, Hanover Band, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Musicians of the Globe, La Cetra, Le Concert d'Astrée, BBC Concert Orchestra, Purcell Quartet, Concordia and the vocal ensembles Cantabile and I Fagiolini. He has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall, Barbican and Purcell Room as well as in Innsbruck, Graz, Passau, Brezice and Radjovlica.
    William has recorded Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day and David's Lamentation Over Saul and Jonathan (Boyce, Hanover Band) ASV Gaudeamus, Rosey Blood (Terror and Magnificence John Harle) Decca Argo, Mass in G Minor (Vaughan Williams, Richard Hickox) Chandos, Ode for St Cecilia's Day (Purcell, Orchestra of the Golden Age) Naxos, William Turner - Sacred Choral Works Delphian, a recital CD for Innsbruck Festival and was featured in the BBC documentary In Search of Shakespeare.
    Operatic work has included Andronico (Tamerlano Handel) Scottish Opera, Ottone (L'Incoronazione di Poppea Monteverdi) Theater Basel, Ptolemy (Giulio Cesare Handel) and Dr Nice (Evening Hymn Purcell) Staatsoper Hannover, Apollo (Apollo and Hyacinthus Mozart) Opera Theatre Company and Classical Opera Company, Ascanio (Ascanio in Alba Mozart) and Athamas (Semele Handel) and Lychas (Hercules Handel) Buxton Festival, Truth (The Triumph of Beauty and Deceit Barry) Almeida Opera, Coridon (Acis and Galatea Handel) New Kent Opera, Sir Philip Sydney (Angel Magick John Harle/David Pountney) Royal Albert Hall BBC Proms, Ernesto (Il Mondo Della Luna Haydn) Garsington, Ensemble Countertenor 1 (Orfeo Monteverdi) English National Opera, Orlando (Orlando Handel) and Arsace (Partenope Handel) Early Opera Company and Shepherd/Huntsman (Venus and Adonis Blow) Shakespeare's Globe, where he also sang in The Tempest.
    A graduate of Magdalen College Oxford, William attended the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he received the John Clifford Pettican Award and was a finalist in the 1997 Gold Medal Competition. In 1995 he was a finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards and a winner of the NFMS Young Concert Artists Award, while in 1997 he won the Silver Medal from the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He studies with David Pollard.