William Joseph Schwartz, more commonly known as William Joseph, is a Phoenix based solo and orchestral pianist of somewhat immeasurable skill and prowess within the music industry. His creative and sometimes cinematic performances on YouTube have gained him hundreds of thousands of followers.
One of his most popular videos is a beautiful instrumental cover version of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”. With 38M views, this is Joseph’s most viewed video to date and it’s easy to see why, it’s stunning. Watch his performance below.
Joseph began his piano playing days at the age of four, before beginning to compose his own solo pieces at the age of only five. His skill garnered so much attention in his native state of Arizona that, by the age of eight, earned him an invitation to the prestigious Boys Club of America. Following his indoctrination into the club, Joseph began studying along-side Russian pianist Stella Saperstein.
Joseph became the first piano teacher to be hired by Piano Warehouse and later spent time teaching as part of the music company’s Arizona Music Lessons, which was later renamed the Arizona Music Academy, to which he still teaches to this day.
Throughout his career as a pianist, Joseph has played along-side some true legends. These include the country music powerhouses that are Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, as well as singer-songwriter John Mayer and pop queen Beyoncé. Not put off it seems by star-studded performances; Joseph has performed at private concerts hosted by numerous VIP clients. These include the former governor of California, and Terminator actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as actress Eva Longoria.
Joseph is revered by his fans for blending his musical talents with full orchestra backed, visually mind-blowing performances. Joseph carries with him, a flair for the theatrical, always making sure to exceed expectations with his grand entrances to stage. Some of the most theatrical entrances include rising from under the stage surrounded by pyrotechnics, zip-lining in from the roof, and in a particularly showy display, featuring a dark stage with 100 drummers with glow in the dark drumsticks, beating a leading tempo to his carefully organised and choreographed performance.
Joseph has in more recent years moved his musical talents to YouTube, on here he has garnered over 225,000 followers. His cover of Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” is a haunting symphony, paying tribute to the song’s melodic and mournful lyrics, through the medium of this beautiful solo performance. The video shows Joseph perform this, sat at his piano in the middle of a dimly lit room, his piano engulfed in a low glow from a lamp, truly bringing forth the darker side of this performance, to reflect the pain and anguish the song portrays, before switching to a panoramic shot of Joseph, again on his piano in the wildlands, surrounded by green vegetation to give a cinematic feast for the eyes. Joseph is truly a masterful performer, composer, and pianist. In whichever mode you listen to him, be it audio-only or visual you are sure to be left revelling at the level of dedication he puts into every single stroke of the ivories.
If you’d like to watch more from this brilliant composer and pianist, subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow his Facebook page.