William Manley, a native of Columbus, began playing the violin at the age of eight. He spent his high school years at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan studying with Rosemary Malocsay and Julia Bushkova. He attended Manhattan School of Music, in New York City, completing his Bachelor of Music degree where he was a student of Albert Markov and Oleh Krysa, as well as Sylvia Rosenberg and Ariana Bronne. William completed his Master of Music degree at Indiana University where he was a student of Nelli Shkolnikova. William attended numerous summer festivals including the Meadowmount with Sally Thomas and Anne Setzer, as well as Encore School for Strings with Victor Danchenko. He also attended the Schlesvig-Holstein Festival in Germany, and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. William lived in Hong Kong for several years where he played with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong.