outhful Young People's Concert - Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Composer: John Wiliams
What you will hear at the concert:
Harry Potter: Harry’s Wondrous World
Born in New York, USA
(1932 - Present)
If you’ve seen the Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jurassic Park or Indiana Jones movies, then you’ve
heard John Williams’ music. Composing for movies seemed to be in his
blood. His father was a percussionist who played for the film studios, and
Williams grew up with music and movies all around him- beginning his
study of the piano by the age of six.
He began his career as a jazz pianist after graduating from the
Julliard School of Music in New York but then decided to go back to Los
Angeles where he lived for a time while growing up. There, he began
writing for the film studios. And close to eighty films later, he’s still
composing! And as if that were not enough, for more than a decade, he
was also the conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra... proving him to be
a multi-talented musician AND a very busy man.
Other Facts:
- In addition to the piano, Williams also learned how to play a variety of other instruments while
in grade school- the bassoon, cello, clarinet, trombone and trumpet.
- By the age of 15, he was already highly skilled at orchestration (arranging music for different
instruments).
- Williams doesn’t always compose music just for movies. He has also composed concertos
(music written for a single solo instrument and orchestra), music for several Summer Olympics and our
current president’s Inaugural Ceremony.
- Although he has many favorites among his film music, he counts the score to Close Encounters
of the Third Kind as his favorite if he absolutely had to choose which he liked most.
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