Peter Mills founded the Mills Williams Foundation in 1996. He and his partner, Rod Williams, who died in 1994, had determined that their joint estate would go towards founding a charity to support young performing musicians - instrumentalists, composers or conductors, as distinct from musicologists, - at the very start of their professional career. Peter later created an annual Scholarship at the Purcell School in 2000 to maintain a student at the school, who would otherwise not be able to study there.
An annual Rod Williams Memorial Concert was established at the Royal College of Music in 1996 and was followed in 2012 by the first Mills Williams Opera School Scholar at the Royal Academy of Music. Peter died in 2006 but the Foundation continues to flourish with its Trustees ensuring that the aims and ideals of Peter and Rod continue to be unreservedly maintained.
Our founders
Rod Williams and Peter Mills met in 1964 and discovered they had similar musical tastes. They both favoured ancient, baroque and late 19th- and 20th-century English music – particularly Vaughan Williams, Butterworth and Britten. In 1975, Rod was diagnosed with cancer, which eventually went into remission. This had the remarkable effect of making him more ambitious. In 1980, inspired by watching the London Marathon on TV, he became first a jogger, then a runner and, astoundingly, a marathon runner in London in April of 1986 and again in New York in the same year.
Rod and Peter decided to make reciprocal wills dedicated to the encouragement of musical excellence. Rod passed away in 1994. Responding to his partner’s passing, Peter approached the Royal College of Music in 1995 and thus the Mills Williams Junior Fellowship was established. Sadly, Peter died in 2006 after a long battle with cancer.
Purcell School award
The Mills Williams Foundation has been generously supporting The Purcell School for Young Musicians since 2000 via a Mills Williams Scholarship.
The Scholarship is awarded by the Purcell School to a promising young musician, the Foundation criteria being that the award be given to a candidate who, without financial support, would not be able to attend The Purcell School.
The Mills Williams Scholar can be supported from one year up to the extent of their entire time at Purcell, or any number of years in between, depending upon the Purcell School’s recommendation.
The Mills Williams Foundation has supported a wide range of talented young musicians at Purcell School, who have continued their musical education at various prestigious Music Conservatoires and Colleges in the UK and abroad.
Junior Fellowship award
The Mills Williams Junior Fellow receives an award that makes a substantial contribution to their course fees and living costs at the Royal College of Music. Holders of this award are considered members of the team of junior fellows and participate fully in RCM life.
All fellows develop musical and communication skills by undertaking further intensive study, working with students internally and doing all they can to raise the profile of the RCM externally. They play a full and active part in the musical life of the RCM as well as functioning as RCM ambassadors.