For the woodcarver and gilder, see William H. Fry. William Henry Fry (August 10, 1813?1864) was an American composer, critic, and journalist, and was the first American to compose a publicly performed grand opera. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and eventually became secretary of the Musical Fund Society. His father, William Fry, was a prominent printer and, along with Roberts Vaux and Robert Walsh, ran the National Gazette and Literary Register, a major American newspaper at the time. William Henry had four brothers--Joseph Reese, Edward Plunket, Charles, and Horace--and was educated at what is now Mt. St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. After returning to Philadelphia to work for his father, he studied composition with Leopold Meignen, a former band leader in Napoleon Bonaparte's army and the music director of the Musical Fund Society orchestra. Fry's operatic compositions include Aurelia the Vestal