John Williams (New York, 8th February 1932) received his musical training collaborating with some of the most prominent figures in American classic cinema, such as Alfred Newman, Franz Waxman and Bernard Herrmann. Considered one of the most popular orchestral composers of the modern era, he has created the music for some of the most iconic soundtracks in film history, such as Jaws, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Superman, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Memoirs of a Geisha, the first three films in the Harry Potter series and the one considered to be the most popular soundtrack in film history, that of the Star Wars saga. With jazz influences, his music ranges from the symphonic sound of the great orchestras to intimate pieces, as well as encompassing popular or folk styles. He has composed the scores to more than one hundred films, has created symphonies and concerts for flute, violin, clarinet, viola, oboe, cello and tuba and has been commissioned to compose for various orchestras. In 1980 he was appointed conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a position from which he retired in 1993, and maintains a relationship with many other orchestras, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. He has received five Academy Awards in the categories of Best Adaptation Score for Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and Best Original Music for Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extraterrestrial (1982) and Schindler’s List (1993). In addition, the 52 nominations he has received throughout his career make him the living person with the most nominations for these awards, second only to Walt Disney. He holds honorary degrees from various universities, the IOC Olympic Order, twenty-five Grammy Awards, four Golden Globes and seven BAFTAs, the National Medal of Arts (USA, 2009) and, among others, the AFI Life Achievement Award (2016), which went to a composer for the first time.