Music at Mansfield

George Caird (Acting Director of Music)

After many years of wonderful music making at Mansfield under the direction of John Oxlade, 2020/21 was bound to be a year of change and new beginnings – and the year of lockdown certainly highlighted this.

My first priority, having been asked by the Principal to oversee music at the College, was to ensure that the Chapel Choir was able to continue. We were lucky to form a partnership with Somerville College through its Director of Chapel Music, Will Dawes, the senior organ scholar Joseph Lord and organ scholar Annabel Hannan. Throughout the year, Mansfield’s Chaplain, Sarah Farrow, and Joseph Lord worked together to plan and provide the music for the services and Annabel Hannan played the organ for rehearsals and services.

Joseph must be thanked for his great efforts in maintaining and nurturing the Choir through this exceptional year. Despite the rigours of lockdown, the need to wear masks (boxes of ‘singing masks’ were specially delivered to College) and the difficulties of singing in a socially distanced way, Joseph was able to bring together former members and new recruits to create a Choir that sang each Wednesday throughout the autumn term with live-streamed services in the Chapel using well-positioned laptop computers.

In addition, the Choir sang at the Matriculation event in the Quad on 17 October that also included a trumpet duet (Hatam Barma and Yan Shen Tan) and an ensemble featuring Leila Hua (flute), George Caird (oboe), Flora Walker (clarinet) and Joschua Spiedel-Johnson (cello). During Michaelmas term, Mansfield’s instrumentalists met on Monday evenings devising ways of playing between the tables and chairs of the Chapel Hall. Maintaining two-metre social distancing, two ensembles were able to meet regularly: a wind ensemble with flutes, oboe, clarinet and saxophones (Rhiannon Hawkins, Leila Hua, Flora Walker, Liam Connolly, Nathan Bentley) with cello in place of a bassoon and led by George Caird; and a string quintet (Joshua Gei, Nick Watt, Sophie Lekas, Rachael Chan and Joschua Spiedel-Johnson) led by Jane Salmon.

Sadly, the restrictions resulting from the pandemic did not allow us to perform live, but instrumental pieces were provided for services and for the online Mansfieldmas celebration on 4 December, which included readings and music presented by Ben Okri and Errollyn Wallen. In addition, solos were played for the Advent Carol Service on 9 December and an ensemble accompanied online carol-singing directed by Joseph Lord on 10 December.

After all this activity (for which everyone involved must be thanked), it was a sad blow that the lockdown imposed by the Prime Minister on 4 January brought our live music-making endeavours to a close. Nevertheless, Sarah Farrow continued with her Wednesday services which included recorded music by Paul Lodge, Jane Salmon, George Caird, Nathan Bentley and others. In Trinity term, lockdown continued with no development until live music-making resurfaced at the Leavers’ Service on 23 June in the Quad. Joseph Lord brought the Choir back to life and a beautiful performance of Fauré by Leila Hua (flute) and Jane Salmon (cello) brought the year to a hopeful close. Trinity term was the highlight from the Choir’s point of view, as they returned to inperson singing for Wednesday services. They tackled Britten’s ‘Jubilate Deo’ and Brahms’ ‘Geistliches Lied’ (both relatively difficult), started singing unaccompanied music (Tallis’s ‘If Ye Love Me’) and sang a relatively new composition, ‘In Paradisum’, by Tamsin Jones for their Pride event. Tamsin provided the Choir with the piece personally and it was a very moving addition to the programme, having been written in memory of transgender victims of murder and violence. The Choir began to blend musically over the course of the term despite very challenging circumstances persisting.

During 2020/21, it has been exciting to see the Mansfield organ being renovated by Walker’s the organ builders. The work was finally completed in June and the organ played for the first time by John Oxlade. After many years of fundraising and planning, to have this beautiful instrument working again is a true sign of hope for Mansfield’s musical future. We plan to recommence practices in autumn 2021 with Choir and instruments and, fingers crossed, a return to live performances.