College bulletin: 28 April
Easter Term is already in full swing, fuelled by Buttery roasts and Café coffees, and voices are lowered across the College land with the arrival of exams.
Along with the bank holiday, there are a few events to note next week in the world beyond St John’s: local council elections take place on Thursday (don’t forget your photo ID to vote), swiftly followed by His Majesty The King’s Coronation next Saturday, and of course who could forget Stars Wars Day? May the 4th be with you.
College news
Tributes paid to world-renowned linguist and ‘nurturer of young talent’
An Emeritus Professor of St John’s College – ‘one of the most distinguished British linguists of his generation’ – has been remembered following his death at the age of 89.
Professor Peter Hugoe Matthews FBA died on 7 April after a long period of illness. He had been a Fellow of St John’s since 1980, when he became the University’s first Chair of Linguistics, and his books have introduced generations of scholars to the basic concepts of the study of word and sentence structure.
Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert 2023
The 17th annual Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert will be given by Thierry Escaich in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford on Thursday 22 June and will also be livestreamed online.
The concert pays tribute to scientist Dr Andrew Chamblin, a St John’s alumnus who died in 2006.
Neuroscientist’s ‘bold new theory of dyslexia’ unveiled on BBC podcast
St John’s Fellow Professor Usha Goswami, Director at the Centre for Neuroscience in Education and Professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, discusses her work on how dyslexia relates to sound and rhythm in the brain in the new BBC Instant Genius podcast.
Professor Goswami gave the College’s 2023 Linacre Lecture.
Find out more and listen to the podcast
Chance to nominate St John’s athletes for Sports Awards glory
Nominations are open for the University of Cambridge Sports Awards 2023.
The annual programme recognises the endeavours of students with a series of awards that reflect the scope of sporting commitment and achievement at Cambridge over the past 12 months. The winners of the eight awards categories will be announced at the ceremony, which takes place from 2pm on Monday 19 June at the University Sports Centre.
Nominate your chosen sportspeople by Monday 15 May
Those wishing to attend the ceremony can register for free tickets via Eventbrite
Read about last year’s shortlisted nominees from St John’s
Lady Margaret Boat Club race news
The LMBC men’s 1st boat (M1) will be racing at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Regatta tomorrow, where they hope to compete in the intermediate category.
Held over 2,000 metres, the race takes place at Nottingham Water Sports Centre.
The women’s 1st and 2nd boat crews raced last Saturday for the ‘head of the Cam’, with W1 coming third and W2 second in their respective categories.
In-person IT Helpdesk
Located in the Library, the IT helpdesk is open weekdays (apart from bank holidays) from 1pm-3pm during Easter Term.
Local election hustings
The College JCR is doing a local election hustings on Monday 1 May for the Cambridge City Council elections taking place on Thursday 4 May – contact the JCR for details.
A reminder that to vote you will need to take an acceptable form of photo ID e.g. passport or driver’s licence.
Coronation pudding competition winner announced
We had a very happy but difficult time doing the judging of the Coronation pudding competition announced last week, but we managed to make some decisions in the end.
The judging panel consisted of the Hospitality and Catering Manager, Head Chef, Dean of Chapel, Director of Music, Tutor for Undergraduate Admissions and myself, the Chaplain. The entries were all anonymised for the judges.
The results are:
Winner: Rhubarb Burnt Cream devised by Will Yates. Here is the explanation of its connection to the brief:
‘Rhubarb, a spring product of the English garden so beloved of the new King, has been paired with custard for generations. Here it forms the base of a burnt cream, historically associated in this country with Trinity College, Charles’s alma mater. While we acknowledge the link to these historic rivals of John’s through gritted teeth, the deal is sweetened with orange and ginger shortbread crowns, with shards of crystallised ginger ‘jewelling’ the dough’.
Will’s pudding fit for a King will be served as part of the menu at the Coronation-themed formal Hall on Sunday 7 May. Will also wins two free places at the formal and a bottle of Champagne.
We have decided to have two runners-up as well because they came so close to winning. Their puddings will be served at formal Hall some time later in the year, most probably on suitably Royal occasions. They are:
Plum-strudel with cool Ginger-Vanilla Sauce devised by Anna Nather and Amber Pudding devised by Jamie Turner.
Chapel
Commemoration of Benefactors’ Service – Friday 28 April, 5.30pm
A special choral service to give thanks for all the benefactors of the College. The President, Professor Steve Edgley, will give an address entitled ‘The giving instinct’. The music includes one of Handel’s Coronation Anthems – a sneak preview for when we hear all four at the St John’s Coronation Service on Sunday 7 May. Please note the earlier start time of 5.30pm.
Student Communion – Sunday 30 April, 8.30am
Gather in the small chapel in the Ante-Chapel for a half-hour service of Holy Communion (aka the Eucharist) with sermon, and then go to Hall for cooked breakfast (which is subsidised). This appeals to a real cross-section of the student community.
Eucharist – Sunday 30 April, 10.30am
The College’s new Director of Music, Christopher Gray, will conduct at the first Sunday Eucharist of term. Those attending the service (including guests) are warmly invited to join the Master and Mr Mark Hancock for seedcake and madeira in the Master’s Lodge following the service.
Organ recital – Sunday 30 April, 6pm
Sam Jones (Clare College) will be performing works by Bach, MacMillan, Martlew and Weir. Open to all, admission free.
Sunday Evensong with Sermon – Sunday 30 April, 6.30pm
This term’s sermon series – The Disappeared: attending to the unseen – has been inspired by the piece of music that the Choir will sing on 2 July, one of James MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados. In these, MacMillan is responding to the horrors of political oppression in Latin America, especially ‘The Disappeared’ in Argentina. This evening our own Chaplain, The Rev’d Andrew Hammond, will be preaching on ‘The urban poor’.
Compline by Candlelight – Tuesday 2 May, 10pm
Half an hour of monastic-style singing, followed by hot chocolate and port. The perfect end to the day: ‘Compline’ means ‘completion’.
Coronation Service – Sunday 7 May, 5pm
A service of music and readings to celebrate the Coronation of HM King Charles III and The Queen Consort. This special service will feature the four Coronation Anthems by Handel, which include Zadok the Priest, accompanied by the Academy of Ancient Music.
Applications for tickets have now closed.
For all other regular services, see the Chapel webpage. Follow the Facebook page, SJC Chaplain, for Chapel service updates; and Andrew is on TikTok @thedetoxpriest. The Chapel team is always keen to hear from more volunteers to read in services or assist in other ways: please contact Andrew.
Other events
St John’s College Picturehouse film: Cocaine Bear – Sunday 30 April, 8pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
After a 500-pound black bear consumes a significant amount of cocaine and embarks on a drug-fuelled rampage, an eccentric gathering of cops, criminals, tourists, and teenagers assemble in a Georgia forest.
Open to all University members. Tickets £4. Further information and to purchase tickets.
Pub quiz – Monday 30 April, 8.30pm
College Bar.
Open to all, admission free. Follow the St John’s College Catering Instagram page for updates.
Live lunchtime meditation – Tuesdays to Thursdays, from Tuesday 2 May, 1pm-1.15pm
Via Teams.
Spend 15 mindful minutes relaxing or meditating with the University’s mindfulness practitioner, Dr Elizabeth English, in these weekday sessions, free to students and staff.
Full details and Mindfulness Programme
Palaeography for beginners – Tuesday 2 May, 3pm
Zoom.
Weekly ‘have-a-go’ sessions for anyone interested in reading handwriting c1500-c1700, using documents from the College’s institutional archives. Sessions are informal and aimed at beginners, or those with a little experience who wish to practise their skills. Meetings are held online, using photographs of the documents which will be emailed out in advance along with the Zoom link.
Open to all, attendance free. If you would like to join in, please contact the archivist, Dr Lynsey Darby.
Lament: A One-Day Celebration of Irish Keen – Wednesday 3 May, 10am-7.30pm
Cripps Auditorium, Magdalene College and online via Zoom.
Marking the 250th anniversary of the much-loved Irish poem Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire / Lament for Art O'Leary, The Cambridge Group for Irish Studies presents a symposium with talks, music, film and poetry honouring the Irish tradition of the keen, and also exploring mourning rituals, improvised poetry, questions of translation, and women's public voices in the 18th century. Speakers include St John’s Writer-in-Residence Vona Groarke.
Open to all, admission free. Full details and to register
Johnian Entrepreneurs Club coffee and chat – Wednesday 3 May, 2pm
College Café.
Meeting weekly, the Johnian Entrepreneurs Club is for College members who are interested in business or entrepreneurship. This could be people who are wanting to start their own business of any kind or network with those who already have startups etc. The Club will have some speakers this term and aim to help people get started on their entrepreneurial journey. There is a WhatsApp group for those who would like to get involved.
Open to all College members. Admission free, no booking required.
Upper Library – Wednesday 3 May, 2pm-4pm
Enter via E staircase, Second Court.
Visit the 17th-century Upper Library where manuscripts and rare printed books from the collections will be on display. Requests for material to be exhibited can be emailed to Special Collections and they will do their best to accommodate these over the course of the term.
Open to College members and their guests. Admission free, no booking required.
St John's College Music Society (SJCMS) concert – Wednesday 3 May, 8pm
Chapel.
Jonathan Hatley will be conducting Handel’s La Resurrezione.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
Women’s tennis sessions – Thursday 4 May, 11am
St John’s tennis courts, behind the College playing fields.
Hour-long sessions for women of all ages and abilities with some experience of the sport, this should be a fantastic break from revision to get some fresh air and play some tennis.
There is no need to come with a partner, racquet or tennis balls. Email Emilia Murray if you’re interested in joining or if you need a racquet.
Open to all St John’s female members. Admission free, no booking required.
Social tennis sessions – Friday 5 May, 3.30pm
St John’s tennis courts, behind the College playing fields.
Hour-long social tennis sessions run by St John’s Tennis Club, every Friday afternoon during term time. No prior experience is needed, the games are intended for all students of all ages and all abilities. There is no need to come with a partner or tennis balls. Please contact Jonny Fox for more information and if you need a racquet.
Open to all St John’s students, admission free, no booking required.
Coronation-themed Hall – Sunday 7 May, 7.45pm
Hall.
Open to all College students and their guests (maximum two guests per student).
Tickets from £10.38 without wine, £14.50 with wine. Register via Upay.
Student Art and Photography Exhibition 2023 – Monday 8 May to Thursday 15 June
Library Exhibition Area.
View all the entries in this year’s St John’s College Student Art and Photography Exhibition.
St John’s Book Group for postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff – Wednesday 10 May, 5.45pm
Merton Hall Cottage.
Postgraduates, English Faculty and College staff are invited to join Vona Groarke, St John’s Writer-in-Residence, for their first book group meeting of Easter Term. This month’s book is Sarah Moss's 2018 novel, Ghost Wall, described by the Guardian as ‘a burnished gem of a book’, and by the New Yorker as, ‘a short, sharp tale of suspense’.
If you are interested in joining this or the book group for undergraduates, email Vona.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 10 May, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay.
The Newell Classical Event 2023, in conversation with Natalie Haynes – Thursday 11 May, 7.15pm
Palmerston Room, Fisher Building.
The Newell Classical Event 2023, celebrating the classical world, stars Natalie Haynes, who will discuss her career as a novelist, radio presenter, comedian and classicist in conversation with Professor Tim Whitmarsh.
Free event. All are very welcome, and no knowledge of ancient literature or history will be required. No need to book.
Notes from the Jury: Reflections on the Chopin Competition – Wednesday 17 May, 9pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Professor John Rink, St John’s Fellow and Director of Studies in Music, shares some of his experiences as a member of the jury of the Chopin Competition in 2015 and 2021.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
The history and development of Cambridge University – Tuesday 23 May, 8pm
Main Lecture Theatre, Old Divinity School.
Richard Partington, St John’s Fellow and Senior Tutor, presents a talk on the history and development of the University.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
Postgraduates Dine with Fellows – Wednesday 7 June, 7.30pm
Hall.
Open to College postgraduates. Free of charge, limited places, register via Upay after Wednesday 10 May.
Tour of the College gardens – Wednesday 14 June, details tbc
With a focus on sustainability, members of the Gardening Department will give a tour of the beautiful and varied grounds of St John’s. No more than 15 in a group.
Open to College postgraduate students, Fellows, Visiting Fellows and their guests as part of this term’s Sans Frontières events programme. Admission free.
St John’s College May Ball 2023 – Tuesday 20 June
Get ready for the College’s spectacular annual May Ball. Spanning the length and breadth of the historic courts of St John’s, this lavish event features live music, all-you-can-eat food and drink and a world-class fireworks display, with the theme famously kept secret until the night itself.
Visit the May Ball website to buy tickets
Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert 2023 – Thursday 22 June, 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and online.
The 17th annual Andrew Chamblin Memorial Concert will be given by Thierry Escaich, who will play an hour-long programme of organ works by Bach, Franck, Vierne, Brahms and Widor. The performance will also be livestreamed.
Open to all, admission free, no booking required.
And finally
Bluebells carpeting The Wilderness of St John’s have been captured on camera this week by Head Gardener David Austrin.
Also known as ‘fairy flowers. ‘witches’ thimbles’ and ‘cuckoo’s boots’, bluebells transform the College’s rich woodland every year in springtime.
