̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Centre for Music Performance

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̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge appoints Sonita Alleyne as Chair and Simon Fairclough as Director of the Centre for Music Performance

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 08:11:54 +0000

Simon will join us on 1 December from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), where he is currently Director of Development; he will also be an Official Fellow at Girton College. Sonita is Master of Jesus College.

Musical performance has thrived at Cambridge for centuries, and provision today ranges from world-renowned choirs to flourishing student-led jazz and musical theatre. Sonita, Simon and the CMP team will work with partners across the ̽��ֱ�� and beyond to shape the future of this vibrant scene.

In addition to securing and enhancing Cambridge’s traditional musical strengths the CMP will over time develop provision and facilities for rock and pop, electronic music and other genres which have historically been less well served, and will launch programmes for those wishing to get involved with music for the first time. Fostering an environment in which excellence and inclusivity sit side by side, it will support performance at all levels, in all genres, for the most diverse possible cross-section of students, as well as for staff and local residents.

Commenting on his appointment, Simon said ‘I was thrilled when at the height of the pandemic the ̽��ֱ�� signalled its commitment to musical performance by creating the CMP. It is a huge honour to have been invited to become the Centre’s inaugural Director, and also to be joining Girton as a Fellow. Cambridge has launched many of the biggest careers in music, and I am committed to maintaining its long tradition of musical excellence. At the same time the wellbeing and social benefits of music-making are well known, and I look forward to working with colleagues to extend them even further across the ̽��ֱ��.’

Simon has a track record of strengthening cultural organisations’ financial health, artistic ambition and societal impact. At the CBSO he has overseen a fourfold increase in annual philanthropic income while also championing initiatives to broaden the orchestra’s contribution to society including the establishment of the music-specialist Shireland CBSO School in Sandwell. He was previously Head of External Relations at the Academy of Ancient Music, where he helped establish the orchestra’s concert series at the Barbican Centre and its record label and education programme. He has been involved with music at Cambridge on a voluntary basis for almost 20 years, including eight as chair of the Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Musical Society.

Sonita Alleyne will chair the ̽��ֱ��’s new Music Performance Committee, which has been formed to oversee the CMP. A journalist, businesswoman and entrepreneur, she founded the production company Somethin' Else and led it as Chief Executive from 1991 until 2009. She brings a wealth of governance experience from non-executive roles ranging from DCMS to the disability arts charity Artsline to newspaper group Archant. In her five-year tenure on the BBC Trust, Sonita championed diversity, inclusivity and the Corporation’s strategies to represent all communities of the UK. She became Master of Jesus College in 2019. Sonita has a broad-ranging and eclectic taste in music.

Sonita commented: ‘I’m delighted to be working with Simon and the CMP team as we establish the Centre for Music Performance. ̽��ֱ��CMP will sit at the heart of the ̽��ֱ�� to support, teach and mentor students from the beginner to the very highest levels of excellence. By supporting a broad range of musical genres the CMP will create a creative environment in which the widest possible range of musical endeavours can flourish.’

̽��ֱ��Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen J Toope, said: ‘At a time of unprecedented stress for the performing arts, I am proud that Cambridge is creating a new Centre for Music Performance. A step-change in the visibility, breadth, reach and role of music performance, it will nurture the highest aspirations of the very best performers, besides offering a wonderful array of opportunities to those with previously limited experience. In the long run the Centre will be a stimulus for interdisciplinarity, research excellence and all-round personal development. I am thrilled to see the CMP go ahead at Cambridge.’

For more information about the Centre for Music Performance please contact Chloe Davidson at cnd26@cam.ac.uk.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is pleased to announce the appointments of Simon Fairclough as Director and Sonita Alleyne OBE as Chair of the new Centre for Music Performance (CMP), which has been established to enable students, staff and the wider community to make music in all its forms a core part of life at Cambridge.

Image of Simon Fairclough by Hannah Fathers (CBSO)

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge commits to a major new centre for music performance

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +0000

This initiative will contribute to the recovery of the physical ̽��ֱ�� in the wake of the pandemic, and is an important signal of Cambridge’s ongoing commitment to the performing arts.

̽��ֱ��CMP heralds a step-change in music of all genres for outreach and inclusion, and for wellbeing across collegiate Cambridge. Maintaining a tradition of excellence, it will also seal the ̽��ֱ��’s position on a world stage for music performance.

̽��ֱ��CMP will be a seedbed of experimentation and innovation. A radical commitment to diversity will offer more opportunities to more students than ever before, to explore new styles of music-making and performance.

̽��ֱ��Centre will open at the end of the year; in the meantime the search is on for a new Director to take up their post in early autumn.

̽��ֱ��Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen J Toope, said: "At a time of unprecedented stress for the performing arts, I am proud that Cambridge is creating a new Centre for Music Performance. A step-change in the visibility, breadth, reach and role of music performance, it will nurture the highest aspirations of the very best performers, besides offering a wonderful array of opportunities to those with previously limited experience. In the long run the Centre will be a stimulus for interdisciplinarity, research excellence and all-round personal development. I am thrilled to see the CMP go ahead at Cambridge."

̽��ֱ��Senior Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education), Professor Graham Virgo, said: "This is one of the many ways Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� is expressing its commitment to outreach, inclusion and diversity. We expect this Centre to build on our excellent array of musical endeavour to draw more students into the cultural life of the ̽��ֱ��, building their skills and confidence and supporting their wellbeing."

Dr Anthony Freeling, Chair, Colleges’ Committee, and President of Hughes Hall, said: " ̽��ֱ��Cambridge Colleges are well-known as a seedbed of musical life; the Centre for Music Performance will not only support this but enhance its connectivity and visibility so that more students are attracted to, and can fully enjoy, the proven benefits of music performance."

Chair of the Faculty Board of Music and 1684 Professor of Music Katharine Ellis said: " ̽��ֱ��Faculty of Music is delighted to see the new Centre for Music Performance come into being. This new hub will be a game-changer supporting musicians right across the ̽��ֱ��, from soon-to-be professionals to those for whom music offers precious release from the stresses of intensive study. It will be a beacon for Cambridge’s already rich musical life and will enable students to access its variety more readily than ever before. We look forward to contributing to the CMP’s success."

̽��ֱ��Chair of the Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Musical Society (CUMS) Trustees, Dame Fiona Reynolds, said: "CUMS has carried the flag for excellence in music performance at Cambridge for many years. During that time we have nurtured a host of young people for whom music is life-giving, from world-leading professional musicians to skilled amateurs. ̽��ֱ��CMP is the opportunity we have been looking for to take this to the next level, offering more students than ever before the opportunity to work with each other and professional artists from a wide range of genres in an atmosphere that fosters creativity and innovation."

Images

Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Jazz Orchestra, copyright Hideaway Streatham

Conducting and Concerto Competition Winners, Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Musical Society, copyright Tom Porteous, with kind permission of Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Botanic Garden

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is creating a Centre for Music Performance (CMP) to transform the visibility, scale, ambition and reach of musical life at Cambridge.

Images of CUJO copyright Hideaway Streatham. Image of Conducting and Concerto Competition winners copyright Tom Porteous