I am William So, a composer, film composer and a classically trained pianist. I was born in Hong Kong and I am currently studying in Berklee College of Music in Boston, majoring in Composition.

 

I treasure the inner craft of a musician much more than the mere virtuosity without crafted meaning. For me, music is everything. That’s all.

 

I started learning classical piano when I was five, as a hobby. With my incredible ears coupled with considerable practices, I got some achievements in piano. Yet, it didn’t last too long. I found my interest is definitely not in performance.

​

In the past, being influenced by the idea that ‘‘only genii could compose’’, I never truly thought about being a composer. I took 2 gap years after graduating from my high school,  I was free of doing whatever I wanted and that completely changed my life. As a die-hard Harry Potter fan, I love the music so much but I didn’t really look deep into the soundtracks. In the gap year, I listened to a lot of Harry Potter soundtracks and play them on the piano by ears, which brought me overwhelmingly nostalgic feelings. What’s more than that, when I deeply listened to the music, I started wondering ‘‘how on earth could someone compose like this? His imagination and craft simply beyond everything I have ever listened to!’’

 

I therefore started transcribing the movie cues into sheets. After that, I become more interested in composing. With the help of a few teachers and self-learning, I had written a few of my first compositions in 2014. I think my first compositions were nice, although not mature enough.

​

I kept improving myself afterwards by composing, listening, transcribing and studying orchestral scores. Apart from my all-time favourite, John Williams, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Gustav Holst, Scott Bradley, Alan Silvestri, Joe Hisaishi are few of my greatest influences.