College life
Charities and campaigns Frances Thompson BA Geography, 2013 This year has been busy as usual for charities and campaigns at Mansfield, with individual students continuing to bring the causes close to their hearts to the JCR for further support. During Hilary term 2015, Mansfield students worked together across the JCR and MCR to win the Student Switch Off competition for awareness of energy efficiency and climate change. We have also built on last year’s successful Living Wage campaign, by campaigning for College to get accredited status. This will ensure that all the staff at Mansfield get a Living Wage into the future. Fundraising has also been a success. Our Auction of Promises raised hundreds of pounds for our charities account and featured students promising free portraits, three-course dinner dates and lots of cake. On International Women’s Day, a charity Life Drawing class raised money for Oxford Rape Crisis. Throughout the year we have held regular charities
Music at Mansfield
John Oxlade, Director of Music The summer concert celebrating the anniversary of Magna Carta featured two premieres by Mansfield students: Josie Bearden’s superb new piano piece entitled ‘Catch and Release’ (played by Josie) and a memorable setting of Shelley’s ‘Love’s Philosophy’ by Dennis Christensen, beautifully sung by the Choir. The event also saw the Choir perform a wide spectrum of works written through the centuries from 1215 to 2015, including music by Henry VIII, Campion, Croft, Beethoven and Elgar. Another first for the Choir was Stravinsky’s ‘Symphony of Psalms’ (accompanied by the brilliant young pianist Patrick Lillie) in the Hilary term concert, given in the Old JCR. The concert also included music by Mozart, Hummel and Rossini, and three movements from Fauré’s Requiem, sung in memory of Adam Monk. While the Chapel was being renovated, the Choir sang the weekly services in Harris Manchester College chapel, combining with that college’s choir and extending our range (and theirs) of liturgical settings – all directed by William Heywood (Trinity College). To end the Michaelmas term, our new Chaplain had devised a wonderful candlelit carol service entitled ‘From Darkness to Light’, with the Choir processing in to plainsong and leading the congregation in traditional Christmas hymns. This year the Choir, with a record 19 singers, has been most ably led by our Senior Choral Scholar, Rebecca Dellar, assisted by six other Choral Scholars: Roshan Forouhi, Shayna Solomon,
24 Mansfield 2014/15
elections, where students can encourage votes for a charity they support. Our participation in the Student Switch Off campaign this year has been incredibly enthusiastic. Students attended training sessions, got involved in photo competitions and a climate-change quiz, and came second overall in the Switch Off rankings by the end of the academic year. Students were rewarded by Switch Off for their enthusiasm with an ice cream party that the whole of the College attended. Our charities budget has also gone towards a Mansfield Sports Day organised by the Mansfield Human Rights Forum in Trinity term, which raised money for Dar Al Yasmin, an organisation helping resettle Syrian refugees in Jordan. The event was held on a beautiful sunny day and strawberries and cream were enjoyed by all who attended.
Sangjung Ha, Charley Roe, Domenico Cullura and Arthur Pander Maat. Roshan has also directed the a capella group ‘Out of the Blue’, raising huge sums for charity, as well as contributing greatly to the musical life of the College together with Peter Bergamin: my warmest thanks to them both. The Wednesday lunchtime recitals have continued apace, with musicians from College – Aaron Hanson (piano), Domenico Cullura (French horn), Kim Darrah (trumpet) and Owen Clarridge (piano) – in wide-ranging programmes. The Sunday evening recitals have also become well-established, with two song recitals by Clemi Collett and Emily Kempson, and the final concert by the exceptionally talented violinist Nicholas BushnellWye, who has recently been awarded an Instrumental Exhibition. Professional soloists from London have included The Amphion Trio (led by Jake Rea in trios by Mozart and Fauré), Madeleine Ridd (cello) and internationally celebrated artists on Friday guest nights – Catherine Wyn-Rogers (from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) and Professor George Caird (oboe).