“Celebrating Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Musical Soul of England” with Bradford Conner

Please join us for this free HYBRID event — both IN-PERSON and via Zoom:

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) is considered to be one of the greatest of all English composers.  Born in Gloucestershire, England, he showed an intense musical talent from a young age.  He wrote in all genres of music– operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces, hymns, and orchestral compositions, and nine symphonies – all in the course of sixty years.  Vaughan Williams was particularly interested in music from Tudor times and English folk music and carols.  He was almost single-handedly responsible for the resurgence of scholarship in these areas. This presentation will explore the influence and connection of his music to the holidays, and will include many well-known choral and orchestral pieces.

Presenter:

Bradford Conner has been the Music & Choral Director at First Parish in Bedford for 18 years.   Brad has a vibrant enthusiasm for all genres of music from classical to contemporary to jazz to blues, to the Great American Songbook, to Broadway/film music, to classic rock … to all good music.  Brad has multiple degrees from West Virginia University including musicology, vocal and piano performance, and teaching.  During the COVID-ID lockdown, Brad used his time to work on piano works by Schubert and Beethoven.  Since then, he has happily resumed his professional performing life as a conductor, pianist, singer, and a lecturer at First Parish in Bedford, Beacon Hill Seminars. and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

To attend in-person, please join us at:     First Parish in Bedford, 75 Great Road, Bedford, MA

For the Zoom link, please visit:    www.uubedford.org/lyceum-news/

For more information, please email:    [email protected]