A weekend listen! RVW was a lifelong devotee of the poet Walt Whitman, carrying a volume of his work to WWI and setting his words across several decades. Laura Barton explores what it was about Whitman’s work that so appealed to the composer. 📻 👇

Did you know that the VWF not only supports the music of our founder but, at his request, that the majority of our funding goes to help other composers? Find out what grants are available, how much they are worth and how to apply for them here: vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org/funding/how-...

See and hear one of RVW's most famous and well-loved works, The Lark Ascending, performed by candlelight by London Concertante. Details of dates and venues, including Leeds, Bristol and Norwich, here: londonconcertante.com/series/vival...

Michael Kennedy, describing a stay in the Vaughan Williams' household 🐾

This stained glass window, created by artist Thomas Denny, suggests Vaughan Williams’ life pilgrimage - of the doubts, hopes and revelations of his life and his music. The window at All Saints Church at Down Ampney commemorates the composer who was born at the rectory there in 1872.

For more than 40 years, Vaughan Williams funding has been awarded to support postgraduate study in composition. Each student receives a scholarship of £8,000 towards their studies in 2026-7. Find out more about this year's Vaughan Williams Scholars here 👇

For all the trombone players out there! 👏

This cassette tape is proof that the music of Vaughan Williams has been heard in space! 🌕 This recording of Hodie, composed by RVW, belonged to mission lunar module pilot Rusty Schweickart, who took it with him aboard Apollo 9 – a 10-day orbital mission in 1969. 🧵1/2

Hear Morley College's recording of Before The Mirror – a previously unknown work by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The piano is played by Dimitris Karydis, head of classical music, and it is sung by Marianna Suri, curriculum leader for vocal studies at the college.

Cover of new novel has quietly appeared online. It's a beauty, I think. www.penguin.co.uk/books/476261...

On Sunday, July 26, at 4pm in St Mary De Crypt in Gloucester, A Portrait of Composers’ Wives sees Allan Ledger and Michael Trott discuss the lives of four women whose husbands were synonymous with the @threechoirs.bsky.social: Maud Parry, Alice Elgar, Isobel Holst, and Ursula Vaughan Williams.

Morley College London has today released a recording of a previously unknown work by Vaughan Williams. The manuscript, discovered in Morley's archives, was identified by the VWF as a “hitherto unknown work” and a significant addition to RVW's body of work 70 years after his death. 🧵 1/4

Take some time out this Friday (or over the weekend!) to enjoy the London Symphony Orchestra's performance of Vaughan Williams' A London Symphony, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano. As part of a BBC Radio 3 round-up of music with a special focus on London 🎶

Gustav Holst writes to RVW about his desire to spend time with other composers, examining each other's work.

An exciting evening coming up at the BBC Proms! Evelyn Glennie & the Fantasia Orchestra will perform Ralph Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music as part of a genre-busting programme at 10.15pm on Tuesday, August 11, at the Royal Albert Hall. Details here 👇

The VFW funds the performance, commissioning, or recording of music by professional British/Irish composers and/or projects that create developmental opportunities for composers or promote awareness of British/Irish music of the last 100 years.

Catch a performance of Vaughan Williams' 5 Variants on 'Dives and Lazarus' in Brighton on Saturday, July 18, with Emma Tring (soprano), Caroline Harrison (viola), Brighton Festival Youth Choir, Brighton Festival Chorus and the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by James Morgan Dives.

We're delighted to announce our new scholars: 🎶 Patrick Gorry - Royal Northern College of Music 🎶 Scarlett Henderson - Guildhall School of Music and Drama 🎶 Donnchadh Mac Aodha - Royal College of Music 🎶 Dominic Wright - Guildhall School of Music and Drama Huge congratulations to you all 👏

New composers alert! 👀 This Friday, July 10, four new pieces written by members of this year's Cheltenham Music Festival’s Composer Academy will be showcased at The Swamp in Cheltenham. Supported by the VWF.

General funding applications are now open. The Vaughan Williams Foundation provides funding for composers and for work furthering knowledge and understanding of the life and work of Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams. 💻 Explore our website for more details.

The love story between Ursula & Ralph Vaughan Williams will be told at the Lichfield Festival on Thursday, July 9, through the composer’s most beautiful songs, letters and writing. Starring Katie Bray, mezzo & Kieran Rayner, baritone, with Nigel Foster, piano.

For those interested in learning more about the life and works of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams... Remembering Vaughan Williams, created by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society, uses actors' voices to bring stories to life. Listen here 👇

Vaughan Williams' Oboe Concerto was first performed in Liverpool in 1944, the scheduled London premiere having been cancelled due to German bombing. The oboeist here 👇 is Robin Canter, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Judd.

Tomorrow! Catch a concert with the Carice Singers, showcasing emerging composers who have spent a week at the Cheltenham Music Festival developing new pieces. The Song Sung True at Spitalfields Music Festival Jul 03, 7:30pm, St Giles Cripplegate, Barbican, London EC2Y. Supported by the VWF.

Vaughan Williams had a distinguished family tree. His maternal grandparents were Josiah Wedgwood III (1795–1880), of the influential Wedgwood pottery family, and Caroline Sarah Darwin (1800–1888), sister of the famous naturalist Charles Darwin.

The "Norfolk Rhapsody No.1", based on folk songs collected by Vaughan Williams, is performed here by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Bryden Thomson.

Since 2023, the VWF has awarded grants of over £1.2 million for composer projects in the UK and abroad. Find out more, including how to apply for funding, via our website.

Bachtrack explores the creative dialogue between classical music and the visual arts - including Vaughan Williams: Job, a Masque for Dancing. Explore here: bachtrack.com/playlist-top...

03/07/1935 Radio Times: Featuring The Music Of Vaughan Williams; A £3 Holiday In Ulster; The Importance Of Being Earnest; The BBC Military Band; The Children's Hour; Period Pieces and more READ: https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/page/9d7c62c2dd21419d973521acc09b945f?page=46

Find out more about how to apply for funding via our website.

📻 Listen to an in-depth discussion between Mark Lowther and BBC Radio 3's Andrew McGregor about the huge range of recorded performances of RVW's 4th Symphony. First performed in 1935, its austerity seems to presage the looming horror of World War II...

This Colin's Column article examines Sir Adrian Boult’s final concert appearance – Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia antartica (Symphony No.7) with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, October 12, 1977.

Were you moved by a musical experience over the weekend?

Taking you into the weekend 🎶 Baritone Roderick Williams discusses stories behind 'Rise, Heart' - a recently released album of the music of Vaughan Williams featuring Five Mystical Songs, folk songs and Willow Wood, with the Sacconi Quartet, Levi Andreassen (double bass), and William Vann (piano).

Since 2023, the VWF has awarded grants of over £1.2 million for composer projects in the UK and abroad. Find out more, including how to apply for funding, via our website.

On September 4, at the Proms, Andrew Manze will conduct the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in a celebration of English music, including Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and Symphony No. 9. www.bbc.co.uk/events/ewwcd4

RVW's letters to his friends, family, pupils and fellow musicians are often frank and full of fascinating insights which give you a glimpse of the man himself. Find them via the Discover section of our website.

Since 2023, the Vaughan Williams Foundation has awarded grants of more than £1.2 million for composer projects in the UK and abroad. Now that our grant applications have reopened, are you wondering how much you can apply for? Helpful guidelines and advice here 👇

Vaughan Williams recounts bumping into some very friendly chorus members in Leeds! ✉️

The Vaughan Williams Foundation not only supports the music of RVW but, at his specific request, also directs the majority of our funding to composers. Interested in applying to the Vaughan Williams Foundation or funding? Details here 👇

Sir Arthur Bliss on Vaughan Williams' desire to encourage the next generation.

Explore an extensive archive of photos of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams via our website. Pictures from the collection can be used for editorial purposes, with a credit for the Vaughan Williams Society.

Enjoy the summer weather this weekend! 🌳

Linton Stephens presents music with a focus on London for BBC Radio 3. At the centre of the programme is Vaughan Williams’s A London Symphony performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano. 📻 👇

Looking for an inspirational outing this weekend? Positioned high in the Surrey Hills, Leith Hill Place commands panoramic views over 12 counties of south-east England. Opening times and details here: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey...

Vaughan Williams studied with the composer Ravel in Paris, and both men shared a mutual love of cats, with RVW owning a cat named Mrs Tim (although we think the cat in this picture is 'Foxy' 🐾).

General funding applications are now 👏 The Vaughan Williams Foundation provides funding for composers and for work furthering knowledge and understanding of the life and work of Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams. 💻 Explore our website for more details.

The sun is out, and the roses are blooming! 🌞 The Lark Ascending rose is a popular rose bred by David Austin in 2012, and named in honour of the beloved 1914 musical masterpiece by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The Vaughan Williams Foundation is particularly interested in supporting the performance of rarely heard Vaughan Williams works, performances at local festivals or societies and performances in territories where the composer's work is seldom heard. Explore our website for more details

A spiritual voyage across the ocean" On July 3 and 4, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski, will perform Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.