Jonathan Williams – Orchestral Director, Nimrod Productions
Nimrod’s orchestral specialist is Jonathan Williams, a conductor, composer, orchestrator and musicologist with fifteen years’ experience working at the highest level. He joined the Nimrod team as Orchestral Director in 2002 and since then has been busy working on critically-acclaimed soundtracks for best-selling games with Sony Computer Entertainment, Atari, Warner Brothers, Ninja Theory, Ubisoft and Vivendi.
Composer and orchestrator
Jonny was orchestrator/conductor most notably for Sony’s blockbuster 24: The Game with the composer on the hit Sky series, Sean Callery. Jonny saw the whole project through from start to finish, transcribing the 116-track Midi files into Sibelius, orchestrating the Main Title and cut scene music, creating the scores and parts, and conducting the NSO at Abbey Road and CTS Watford.
He carried out the same roles Nitin Sawhney’s music for parts of Heavenly Sword, and numerous other games such as Driv3r and the official Driv3r soundtrack, Driver 4: Parallel Lines, Getaway: Black Monday, Getaway: Gangs of London, Ground Control 2: Operation Exodus, Loons and Taz: Wanted (BAFTA nominated) and most recently Far Cry 2.
He worked on the music for the BBC’s Andes to Amazon with Bafta award-winner Nick Hooper, the soundtrack for Sony’s 24: The Game with Emmy award-winner Sean Callery. He assisted John Bell and Oscar winner Gabriel Yared on the original soundtrack for the movie Troy, on Julian Philips’ commissions for the BBC and English National Ballet, and orchestrated and produced a CD for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jonathan has been Tutor in Orchestration at Oxford University since 1992 and is currently working on a book on the subject for Oxford University Press. He studied orchestration in the UK with James MacMillan and in Hollywood with Steven Scott Smalley, the orchestrator for Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith and Danny Elfman.
Conductor
Jonathan has performed a huge variety of orchestral, choral and operatic music ranging from conducting the first staged run on period instruments in Britain of Mozart’s Idomeneo to a performance of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex which was described in Opera magazine as ‘simply one of the best Oedipus’ I have seen’. He has continued to work in opera but it is with choral and orchestral music that he has been most busy, conducting much of the choral/orchestral repertoire from Bach to Tavener and working with numerous ensembles including Oxford Chamber Orchestra, University of London Choir and Orchestra, North Herts Guild of Singers, English Sinfonia and Charivari Simfonie. In September he takes over the conductorship of Ealing Choral Society.
Musicologist
Jonathan’s work as a musicologist has varied from writing a volume for the Opera Omnia Jean-Philippe Rameau to acting as a music adviser for the Brad Pitt movie Troy. His doctoral research has been published by Bärenreiter and he has taught at the UK’s top institutions (including Oxford University, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Morley College and the Academy of Contemporary Music, Guildford). In September 2006, Jonathan was appointed Director of College Music at St Hilda’s College, Oxford – the first such post in Oxford.
Feedback on Jonathan’ work
Mozart's Idomeneo was, according to Paul Griffiths, ‘...distinguished by inspiriting conducting.'
(The Times)
Martinu's Miracle of our Lady - ‘Williams maintained a highly impressive command'
(Arthur Jacobs in Opera)
Stravinsky's Oedipus rex - ‘Williams again impressed as conductor… simply one of the best Oedipus's I have seen...'
(Arthur Jacobs in Opera)
'Exuberance and eloquence were the hallmarks of the Oxford Chamber Orchestra's concert on Friday... Under the meticulous and articulate direction of conductor Jonathan Williams, these varying emotions were conveyed with exceptional clarity.'
(The Oxford Times)
'I think you've done a really great job. I was very happy with the quality of the recordings. That environment is just magical… and Jonny I am very grateful for your attention at the podium. You really absorbed the feeling of the work. Bravo.'
(Sean Callery, Emmy award-winning composer for 24 and 24: The Game)