John Williams

Williams in May 2006

John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932 in Flushing, Queens, New York) is an American composer and conductor; he is best remembered for his scores (soundtracks) for movies such as Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, E.T., Indiana Jones, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and Lincoln. He was also lead conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conducts for them a few times each year especially around Christmas time.

For Barack Obama's presidential inauguration on 20 January 2009 John Williams made a special arrangement of the Shaker hymn "Air and Simple Gifts". It was performed by four musicians: the violinist Itzhak Perlman, the cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the clarinetist Anthony McGill and the pianist Gabriela Montero.

Other websites

• John Williams at the Internet Movie Database
• The Official Site