The William Lincer Foundation

During his tenure with the Philharmonic, Lincer performed under the batons of Bernstein, Mitropoulos, Reiner, Szell, Toscanini, and Walter, among others, and made 57 solo appearances. These included the premieres of contemporary viola concerti by Bloch, Hohvaness, Klenner, Rivier, and Starer, as well as the presentation of the B-minor Concerto for viola by Handel-Casadesus, Harold in Italy by Berlioz, Don Quixote by Strauss (with cellist Leonard Rose), and the Sinfonia Concertante by Mozart (with violinist John Corigliano, Sr.). Representative of the favorable reviews Lincer received about the Mozart work cited above is the following:

The artistry and skill of Mr. Corigliano and Mr. Lincer were so perfectly matched, their tone so subtly integrated and equalized, that their playing proved remarkably unified, and at the same time was held in just the right dynamic frame to blend absolutely with the finely considered orchestral support. It is difficult to conceive of a presentation of this work more eloquent and persuasive, or more admirable in tonal purity, beauty of texture, coloring, and expressiveness.
[The New York Times, 11 March 1946, p. 18]

In the summer of 1953, Lincer participated in the Casals Festival in Prades, France. Not only did he head the viola section of the festival orchestra, but he also had responsibility for much of the behind-the-scenes organization of that year's festival as well. At the close of the festival, Lincer traveled to Salzburg, Austria, in search of a Sinfonia conertante for Violin, Viola, and Cello which, in 1930, he saw listed in the Köchel catalogue of Mozart's works. Since he already had a copy of the printed viola part , he was determined to find the complete score. This he did in the Mozarteum and returned to New York with a copy of the score. Lincer premiered this one-movement concerto with the Philharmonic during its 1955 season, and thus a previously unknown work by Mozart was brought to light.

Lincer began teaching students to play the violin/ viola at a young age and by the time he was 20, in 1927, had developed a large class of private students. During the summer of 1928, Lincer accepted engagements out of the New York City area and looked for a violinist to take over his private students. A young female violinist, named Mary, was recommended and she eagerly accepted. When Lincer returned to New York he found none of his students willing to return to him, They instead wished to continue their studies with Mary. At first he was upset but, as it turned out, his encounter with Mary proved to be a blessing. They were married the following year in 1929 and enjoyed 68 years of life together.