William Mattimore’s academic life at the University of Miami sits at the heart of where the arts and sciences intersect. Born and raised in Miami, Mattimore’s plan to earn a double major in music and physics was in the works even before he started applying to college.
Music became an outlet that “accidentally” happened in his life, he says, but his love of the sciences, particularly physics, was a subject that he “always took seriously” in high school.
“I was always an inquisitive kid growing up and I really liked physics when I was in school. It was the only subject that would answer the questions I had,” says Mattimore, who is graduating with the Class of ’22 this spring.
Music, on the other hand, came into play for Mattimore when he was taking a classical music class in middle school and was introduced to the instrument he plays today—the double bass.
“I signed up for a strings class in the sixth grade thinking I would learn how to play guitar but was shocked when I learned it was an orchestral strings class, and being the tallest kid in the class, I really didn’t have much of a choice; I was given the double bass,” says Mattimore. “The truth is I didn’t take music too seriously during that time; playing was just a hobby, but that all changed for me after hearing a single piece of music.”
Mattimore is referring to Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet “Romeo and Juliet.”
“It's a very long piece, close to two and a half hours, and I was given the opportunity to play a suite from it that left me in complete awe,” he says. “It’s such a fantastic piece of music. There’s not a second in those few hours that isn’t simply golden. After that, I knew that I couldn’t part with music; I had to continue playing.”
After graduating from Coral Reef Senior High School, Mattimore began his search for a university that would represent his two passions—music and science.
After a lengthy search, he chose the University of Miami because “it was the perfect fit, both academically and musically. UM has a great balance of both. The combination of excellent academics and a strong music program really solidified it for me,” he says.
Now on his way to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the Classical Department in the Frost School of Music and the Physics Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, Mattimore is contemplating whether his future lies in music or an opportunity in STEM.
He applied to the University of Central Florida’s Planetary Sciences Program for graduate school because of its lunar and robotics program but says that music is still so much a part of his life.
“I love physics and I love music, and I’m grateful I had to chance to study both disciplines here at UM with a mix of professors and mentors from both Frost and the College who have truly inspired me in so many different facets of my life. It has been an amazing experience,” he says.
