Profile of John Williams

Born::

February 8, 1932, his father performed with the CBS orchestra

Birthplace:

New York, USA

Music Education:

He started playing the piano at a young age and studied composition at UCLA with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. He also went to Juilliard School and studied piano with Madame Rosina Lhevinne.

Music Career:

He served in the Air Force then worked as a jazz pianist in New York. Later on he went into the film industry. In 1980, Williams became the nineteenth Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. After he retired in 1993, he was given the title Boston Pops Laureate Conductor. He now holds the title Artist-in-Residence at Tanglewood. He has honorary degrees from 14 different universities, including Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory of Music.

Awards Received:

5 Academy Awards, 3 Golden Globes, 2 Emmys, 17 Grammys and 5 awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). In 2000 he was named Maestro of the Year by the National Association of Theater Owners and was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. He was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998 and in December 2004, Williams received a Kennedy Center Honor.

Notable Works for Films:

John Williams is known for his more than 75 film scores, concert works and ceremonial music. Some of his well-known works are his film scores for the Star Wars trilogy, Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones Trilogy and Schindler's List. Also composed the music for Amistad, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Far and Away, Born on the Fourth of July, Always, Saving Private Ryan, Seven Years in Tibet, Empire of the Sun, The Lost World, Jurassic Park, Nixon, JFK, Home Alone, Sabrina, Hook, Sleepers, Presumed Innocent, The Witches of Eastwick, Minority Report and Memoirs of a Geisha.

"Harry Potter" Musical Score:

Williams also wrote the music score for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", which earned Williams an Oscar nomination.

Meanwhile other movies in the Harry Potter series namely "Goblet of Fire" was scored by Patrick Doyle while "Order of the Phoenix" was scored by Nicholas Hooper.

Other Notable Works:

John Williams has been invited as guest conductor by several prestigious ensembles including The London Symphony and The Chicago Symphony, to name a few. He also composed the theme for NBC’s “The Mission” and during the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty, he wrote “Liberty Fanfare”. He also wrote several compositions for the Olympics including “Olympic Fanfare and Theme", “We’re Lookin’ Good" and “Olympic Spirit.” Read more about John William's compositions for the Olympics.

Music Samples:

Listen to the Harry Potter Theme composed by John Williams and performed by the LA Philharmonic.