In his later years, William Walton, who didn’t come from a wealthy background, expressed his desire to help young musicians, just as his patrons had helped him.
To honor his wishes, the William Walton Trust provides grants for a range of music-related projects, including artistic works, educational programs, concerts, and tours.
• Individual artists
• Registered non-profit organizations
• Educational institutions
• Cultural and arts organizations
• Community-based music initiatives
• Touring companies and ensembles
• Scholars and researchers
All applicants must submit grant applications between February 1 and October 31 of the preceding year. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered. The review and assessment process takes place in November, December, and January, and grant funds are distributed after January 31 of the following year.
All applicants must follow the same application process and request a specific amount. Applications for unspecified sums will not be considered.
Each application should include:
• Relevant professional documentation, such as relevant biographical information on the artist, organization, and any project participants, as well as a concise overview of previous work, research, performances, exhibitions, or touring experience.
• A clear description of the proposed project and its background, along with an outline of its intended audience and outreach strategy.
• Applicants must provide financial information in sufficient detail to support the request, including a comprehensive breakdown of projected expenses, unless the application is solely for a working grant.
• Whenever possible, applicants should provide supporting artistic materials, such as audio or video links.
For projects involving educational programs, concerts, or tours, further details are required.
In this case, applicants should in fact provide us with:
• A more comprehensive project description,
• A detailed timeline
• A touring itinerary specifying venues and locations. Supporting correspondence from venues, presenters, or project partners should also be included where available.
Upon receipt of the grant, the Trustees require an official letter of acknowledgment.
In 2026, we celebrate the centenary of Lady Susana Walton: the visionary behind one of Italy's most famous Mediterranean gardens, La Mortella, which continues to uphold her legacy, welcoming over 90,000 visitors annually. Born in 1926 in Argentina, Lady Walton married British composer William Walton in 1948 and made Ischia their home.
With landscape architect Russell Page, she created a unique garden that reflected her artistic sensitivity and love of nature and plants. After William's death, Lady Walton dedicated herself to transforming La Mortella into a cultural centre focused on music and honoring her husband's legacy.
To commemorate this special anniversary, the Trust has planned a year-long program of events across Italy and the UK to celebrate the life and cultural impact of this remarkable woman.
The centenary programme will start on Saturday, 28 March at 3:00 PM at La Mortella Gardens with the inaugural event “Lady Walton 100,” organised in collaboration with the Garden Club of Ischia.
The programme includes the opening of the exhibition “The Intuition of Love,” dedicated to Lady Walton, and a conference titled “Susana and Her Garden: The Story of an Extraordinary Life”.
A series of conferences on Lady Walton’s legacy, curated by the Trust's President Alessandra Vinciguerra, will be held across Italy and abroad. These events will be hosted in prestigious venues, including museums, historic residences, botanical gardens, and cultural festivals dedicated to landscape and heritage.
The Foundation’s Kepos Project, a programme of cultural lectures, will focus on the historical evolution of gardens, offering a wide-ranging exploration of garden styles and themes, while also discussing music history.
Within La Mortella Gardens, a site-specific installation by M. Catuogno, “The Intuition of Love,” will guide visitors through a poetic journey. The installation features engraved quotes from Lady Walton and people who inspired her, all set in Zaro stone and accompanied by myrtle plants (mortella in the local dialect), creating a dialogue between landscape and language.
Music remains the backbone of the anniversary’s celebrations at La Mortella:
A major concert will take place in Rome on 8 November at Teatro Palladium, featuring Orchestra Roma Tre in collaboration with the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, with music by William Walton and the suite Lady Walton’s Garden by R. Molinelli.
A new production of Façade will also be staged in Naples in collaboration with Associazione Scarlatti.
On 21 August (nearing Lady Walton’s birthday) a tango evening will be hosted in Ischia, celebrating Walton’s Argentine heritage with an open milonga.
Celebrations will also take place across the UK:
Upon his death, William Walton expressed his desire to support young musicians through his estate, just as his many patrons had aided him. Consequently, the William Walton Trust was established in 1984. For 4 decades, our charity has played a vital role in promoting musical education, supporting talented musicians, promoting Walton's music globally, and making his lesser-known works accessible.
Since 1990, the Trust has worked alongside its Italian counterpart Fondazione Walton. In the 90s, the Trust sponsored the complete recording of Walton's works, completed in 1995. The Trust has also prepared performing editions of his more niche pieces, enhancing public access to Walton's music. In the UK, the Trust works with various high-profile institutions.
In Forio, Italy, the Trust has also established an official Walton archive in 1990, providing valuable resources for scholars and enthusiasts and facilitating the preparation of new editions of Walton's works.
In the beautiful setting of Giardini la Mortella, Walton's beloved Italian estate on the island of Ischia, the Trust organizes masterclasses for music students and young musicians.
It allows emerging classical musicians aged 18 to 32, from top music schools like Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, Accademia Stauffer, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, to take part in their chamber music season curated by Lina Tufano and their Festival of Youth Orchestras, the season of symphonic music at the Greek Theatre, curated by Caroline Howard. The Trust also supports publications about Walton and engages in music education projects with schools.
The Centenary celebrations in 2002 showcased Walton's influence through various performances and events, emphasizing the Trust's continued dedication to education and community engagement. In 2026, the Trust is celebrating the Centenary of the birth of Susana V. R. Maria Gil Passo, Lady Walton, with special events that celebrate her incomparable work at Giardini la Mortella and her role in keeping her husband's legacy alive.
For over four decades, the Trust has played a key role in promoting musical education, supporting emerging talent, advancing Walton’s music worldwide, and making his lesser-known works more accessible to a wider audience.
Since 1990, the Trust has worked closely with its Italian counterpart, Fondazione Walton. In the 1990s, it sponsored the complete recording of Walton’s works, completed in 1995, and produced performing editions of his lesser-known compositions. In the UK, it has been actively involved in the Oldham Walton Festival since 1993.
In 1990, the Trust established the official Walton Archive in Forio, Italy, providing valuable resources for scholars and enthusiasts and supporting the development of new editions of Walton’s works. At the beautiful Giardini la Mortella on the island of Ischia, the Trust organizes masterclasses and educational programmes for young musicians from leading institutions such as the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, and Accademia Stauffer.
The Trust promotes concert seasons and festivals, including chamber music curated by Lina Tufano and the symphonic season at the Greek Theatre, directed by Caroline Howard. The Centenary celebrations in 2002 highlighted Walton’s legacy through performances and events. In 2026, the Trust celebrates the centenary of Lady Walton with special initiatives honouring her extraordinary contribution to Giardini la Mortella and her role in preserving Walton’s legacy.
William Walton's complete body of work is not extensive, yet the composer managed to create several pieces that were highly popular in his time and are now firmly part of music history.
William Walton wrote Façade as the instrumental accompaniment to the poems of the same name by his patron and friend Edith Sitwell. It was first performed privately at the Sitwell family’s London home in 1922, and the full score was published in 1951.
The biblical cantata Belshazzar's Feast is centred on the story of the lavish banquet held by the Babylonian king Belshazzar. Commissioned by the BBC in 1929, it marked Walton’s rise as a leading figure in British music. The libretto, by Osbert Sitwell, draws extensively from the Bible. The work features dissonant harmonies, jazzy cross-rhythms, and echoes of the English oratorio tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Full of pomp and majesty, Crown Imperial is an orchestral march composed for the coronation of King George VI. First performed at Westminster Abbey on coronation day in 1937, it stands as a grand ceremonial work in the tradition of Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance marches.
William Walton’s iconic First Symphony in B-flat minor premiered in 1935, when the composer was in his early thirties, making a powerful impact. The work reveals influences of Sibelius and Beethoven, yet remains unmistakably Waltonian: volcanic, powerful, and above all, timeless.
Nessun titolo
Nessun titolo
Nessun titolo
Nessun titolo
Nessun titolo