Mills Williams Junior Fellowship

The Mills Williams Junior Fellow receives an award that makes a substantial contribution to their course fees and living costs. Holders of this award are considered members of the team of junior fellows and will be expected to participate fully in RCM life.

The Mills Williams Junior Fellowship is held for one year and is only available to students on the Artist Diploma (ArtDip) in Performance programme.

This fellowship offers a bespoke, tailored programme of performance and artistic development opportunities to help launch the most talented instrumental students as soloists and chamber musicians.

All fellows are expected to 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. They have full use of the RCM Library with its wealth of material and work in close contact with the Creative Careers Centre, the RCM’s centre for professional skills and publicity services.

Current Mills Williams Junior Fellow

William Kidner, Bassoon

Will Kidner, RCM Mills Williams Junior Fellow 2025, has recently graduated with distinction in his masters in performance on bassoon at the Royal College of Music studying under professors Sarah Burnett and Joost Bosdijk, supported by the C H Scholarship (2024), Munster Trust Award (2025) and Munster Trust Derek Butler Award (2023).

He is currently on trial for section leader with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, having performed in their first televised BBC Proms, has been invited to perform as principal with the Philharmonia orchestra, performed with the BBC Symphony and Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their pathway schemes, and in 2025 was selected for the Philharmonia Instrumental Fellowship and Chamber Orchestra of Europe Academy. He regularly performs as principal with the RCM Symphony Orchestra, which included performances at the BBC Proms, Helsinki Music Festival and Shostakovich’s 9th Symphony at the Britten Arts Festival. In 2025, he won the RCM Bassoon Prize. He was also invited to perform as principal with the German-Nordic Youth Orchestra at the Berlin Philharmonie and Kammermusiksaal.

Whilst studying at the University of Oxford, he was awarded the Leask Music Scholarship, ISIS Ensemble Scholarship, the Stuart Craig award for outstanding cultural achievement and successfully auditioned for the Britten Shostakovich Festival Orchestra. In the National Youth Orchestra (principal 2019-2021, section member 2017-2019), Will performed in venues across the UK including the BBC Proms and a tour to Berlin Konzerthaus to perform in the Young Euro Classics.

Will has received mentorship from masterclasses with Sergio Azzolini, Theo Plath, Amy Harman and Bram van Sambeek at the RCM and Auden Halvorsen and Fredrik Erkdahl, whilst attending Voksenåsen Music Academy. In 2024, he established the Donax bassoon quartet, who enjoy performing regularly and recorded a world first composition for bassoon quartet and rapper by composer and youtuber David Bruce.