Born in Scotland to a family of musicians from the UK and Korea, Sophie Williams is a passionate and versatile chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral player performing baroque to contemporary music extensively throughout Europe and beyond. Completing her undergraduate studies with high distinction at the Royal College of Music in London with Professor Gaby Lester, she continued her studies with Professor Nurit Stark at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart and is now currently pursuing a Master of Performance at the Musik Akademie Basel in the classes of Rainer Schmidt and Raphaël Oleg.

Sophie is an increasingly sought-after chamber musician, having appeared at festivals such as Yellow Barn (USA), Schiermonnikoog (NL), Podium Esslingen, Ponte Ulm (DE), Battements Par Musique (FR), Manchester and Chipping Campden International Music Festivals, as well as Mendelssohn on Mull and the Edinburgh Fringe. She has performed alongside renowned artists including Anthony Marwood, Dénes Várjon, and members of the Doric String Quartet. Additionally, she has participated in prestigious masterclasses, including IMS Prussia Cove with András Keller and the Barenboim-Said Akademie for chamber music with Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri Quartet.

In 2019, Sophie made her concerto debut performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Edinburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gerry Docherty. She also returned in 2024 to perform Brahms’ Violin Concerto.

She has participated in masterclasses and received mentorship from many influential figures, including members of the Doric String Quartet, Alina Ibragimova, Pekka Kuusisto, Leonidas Kavakos, Nicola Benedetti, Donald Weilerstein, Gordon Nikolic, Lorenza Borrani, Alistair Beatson, Claudio Martínez Mehner, Nicholas Rimmer, and David Watkin, bringing a diverse range of inspirations to her playing.  Sophie has also collaborated with composers such as Jörg Widmann and Georg Nussbaumer, premiering Nussbaumer's piece 'Der Gravitation der Grundtöne' for eight violins in Vienna in 2022.

For two years, Sophie held the the principal second violin position of the European Union Youth Orchestra with whom she throughout Europe, South America, the UAE, and China, with performances at prominent halls such as the BBC Proms, Konzerthaus and Philharmonie Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. She was subsequently invited to play with Spira Mirabilis and to work regularly with the Budapest Festival Orchestra under the direction of Iván Fischer. 

Sophie is also experienced in historical performance practice, playing on period instruments and bows, having studied with Bojan Čičić in London and Germán Echeverri in Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. She performs regularly with period ensembles such as the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble and the Gabrieli Consort. She has also appeared with orchestras such as Ensemble Resonanz, Ensemble Reflektor, Mahler Academy Orchestra, Swiss Festival Orchestra and has been fortunate to have worked with conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, Manfred Honeck, Gianandrea Noseda, Stéphan Denève, Pablo Heras-Casado, Marin Alsop, Riccardo Minasi, Marek Janowski, Heinz Holliger, Sasha Goetzel, Ilan Volkov and Rafael Payare.

During her studies, Sophie has been generously supported by the Dewar Arts Awards, the Cross Trust, and the James Caird Travelling Scholarships, through which she received the Bloch Prize in 2023.

Sophie grew up in Edinburgh where her formative musical years were spent at St. Mary’s Music School. There she received lessons and guidance from Claire Dochterty, Andrea Gajic, John Cameron and Will Conway. Over the years whilst touring and connecting with fellow musicians, Sophie has developed a passion for photography and continues to photograph musicians, concerts and everyday life with her many cameras. When not traveling around, she’s most likely cooking and baking banana bread for friends.