William Prunkl is an American cellist who began his musical journey at age 12. He studied under Carter Brey of the New York Philharmonic during his time at Columbia University and later continued his training in Hungary at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with Bartók Quartet cellist László Mező. In 2001, Prunkl began his career in Kyoto as a Monbugakusho Fellow studying with Noboru Kamimura at Kyoto City University of Arts. Known for his versatility, he has collaborated with orchestras, contemporary musicians, artists, and dancers across diverse genres. Since 2012, he has performed regularly with guitarist Hiroaki Takai as the duo ‘Pájaro Rojo’ and is a founding musician of N’SO KYOTO.