Explore the works of
John Williams

A look into our collection of performances featuring the works of iconic composer and conductor John Williams, best known for having composed some of the most popular, recognizeable, and critically acclaimed film scores in cinema history.

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About John Williams

Second only to Walt Disney in the number of Oscar nominations, American composer and conductor John Williams (1932-) unmistakably changed the face of film scoring through his ongoing, seven-decade-long career. Known for his distinct - and often replicated - sound, which mixes romanticism, impressionism, and atonal music with complex orchestration, Williams is to this day behind the music of some of cinema's most iconic movies - from Star Wars to Indiana Jones.

Born in Queens to Johnny Williams, a jazz drummer and percussionist who played with the Raymond Scott Quintet, John studied composition privately with the Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco in his youth. After serving in the Air Force as a pianist, brass player, conductor, and arranger, Williams enrolled at Julliard in 1955, where he pursued piano studies under Rosina Lhévinne. At first, he had his sights set on becoming a concert pianist, but, upon hearing contemporaries like John Browning and Van Cliburn perform, he switched his focus to composition - thankfully for moviegoers around the globe.

Williams followed his muse to Los Angeles, where he began working as an orchestrator at film studios, collaborating with composers such as Franz Waxman, Bernard Herrmann, and Alfred Newman, as well as orchestrators Conrad Salinger and Bob Franklyn. He was also a studio pianist and session musician - and even released some jazz albums under the name 'Johnny Williams' during this period.

Throughout the fifties and sixties, John Williams primarily worked as a studio musician in Hollywood, but his big break wouldn't come until then-unknown director Steven Spielberg hired him to compose the score for his film Jaws in 1975. The success of the 'first blockbuster' was so that Spielberg and Williams became inseparable, and this marked the beginning of a highly successful collaboration. Their partnership gave rise to iconic scores for franchises such as Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park.

Shortly after the release of Jaws, Williams' name would forever be attached to what would also become one of cinema's most celebrated trilogies (and beyond) - George Lucas' Star Wars, which premiered in 1977. Williams' Wagnerian score, selected by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time, set the tone for orchestral film music to come forever - in science fiction and otherwise.

Securing his 54th Oscar nomination in 2024 for the latest Indiana Jones installment, John Williams not only became the second most nominated individual in history but also the oldest at the age of 91. These extraordinary accolades offer only a glimpse into Williams' enduring genius and influence, over sixty years since composing his first film score.

Discover the music of John Williams

Concerts featuring John Williams

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