Univ Record 2017

some very challenging repertoire, but without overloading them with too music to learn.
We hope this is going to be a regular occurrence and the next concerts are planned for
September (in London) and October (in Univ) with a programme of Monteverdi and his
contemporaries, complete with lute and harpsichord.
The Choir toured to Florence in April and was incredibly lucky to be helped and hosted
by OM, William fforde, himself a former organ scholar. They were truly ambassadors
for the College, performing two concerts and three services, including a private event at
St Mark’s English Church for HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.
Our next big event was a concert of French Chamber music for harp and strings. We
are lucky to have an exceptional harpist in classicist, Rosie von Spreckelsen, and this
concert showcased her talent in Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro for harp, string quartet,
flute and clarinet, as well as music by Debussy and Chausson. Our newest venue – the
Lecture Theatre in 10 Merton Street – was the perfect place to listen to this glorious
music.
The Chapel Choir reunion in June was a huge success, and over 30 old choir members
joined with the current choir to sing evensong in Chapel in a trip down memory lane.
The roof was raised by the wonderful singing, and we hope to host another next year, and
attract even more Old Members who used to sing in the choir, in whatever generation, to
join us for an afternoon of singing and reminiscing.
The year ended with the Chapel Choir recording their second CD in as many years,
this time with music from Lent and Passiontide. We hope that this will be available early
in 2018, and we will, of course, let you know when it is released.
As ever, I would like to thank all our students, past and present who enable music to
happen in Univ, be it actively performing, or listening to and supporting our endeavours.
There is no live music without an audience, so thank you. The coming year will see
concerts with The Martlet Ensemble, Martlet Voices and many student events. We will
let you know about them all in due course.
Giles Underwood
If you would like to know more about musical events at Univ, then please contact the
Director of Music (giles.underwood@univ.ox.ac.uk) or Carol Webb in the Development
Office (carol.webb@univ.ox.ac.uk).
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From the Development Director
The successful conclusion in 2016 of the UNIV 20/20 Campaign,
the College’s ten year fundraising drive which secured more
than £55 million in gifts and pledged commitments, allowed the
2016-17 academic year to serve as a true inflection point for the
Development Office. Rather than merely take the opportunity
to modestly cheer our accomplishments and consolidate our
philanthropic gains, the College quickly turned the page
and looked ahead towards new philanthropic initiatives and
opportunities which would engage our supporters and influence
the College for the next decade.
In raw numeric terms, the year was a very positive one; no post-campaign hangover to
be seen. Univ Old Members continued to give generously and thoughtfully. The College
secured £4.4 million in new gifts and pledges for the fiscal year ending July 31 2017.
Although this was a modest decrease from the previous year, it still represents the fourth
best fundraising year in the College’s modern history. Seven Old Members and Friends
of Univ made new commitments of £100,000+ in support of the College’s new post-
UNIV 20/20 Campaign initiatives this past year. These were extraordinary intentions of
support and I am grateful to those individuals who chose to prioritise the College this
way with their leadership philanthropy. Overall I would like to take a moment to thank
especially Dr David Booth (1950), Philip Ma (1986), Bill Bardel (1961), Sir Leonard
Blavatnik, Richard Cooper (1964), Jennifer and John Crompton (1981), Alan Fleming
(1949), Dr Pavel Klein (1974), Somkiart Limsong (1959), Peter Mallinson, Nazir Razak,
Lois and David Sykes (1963), and several anonymous donors for their new impactful
commitments this past year. Your gifts and pledges have supported vital programmes
and people at the College and we are thankful for your generous benefactions.
Several areas of College life received significant support in 2016-17. Some general
highlights included gifts for the Goodhart Building, new fully-endowed postgraduate
scholarships, academic prize funds, new undergraduate bursaries and maintenance
funds. One scheme received overwhelming support in its inaugural year. Univ’s
Opportunity Programme for access and widening participation particularly resonated
with Old Members. Since the Opportunity Programme was announced in 2016, it
has received more than a half-million pounds of philanthropic support alone. This is
just wonderful and these committed funds which will support the scheme’s summer
induction programme, housing expectations, and new vacation bursaries gives this new
pilot a solid financial platform for long-term success.
It has been Univ’s desire for several years to become a ‘college of preference’ among
the University’s leading postgraduate applicants. A key to achieving this aspiration has
been the establishment of several fully-funded studentships across a wide range of Collegesponsored
postgraduate courses of study. At the time of the receipt of the £10 million
Oxford-Radcliffe Scholarships benefaction in 2013, the College established an internal
goal to fund fully 50 individual postgraduate scholarships, up from a mere handful prior
to the benefaction. Since 2013, active fundraising to support this objective has met
with a substantial response from Old Members and Friends of the College and 2016-
17 was no exception. The College received more than £1 million in directed donations
for endowed postgraduate studentships. The new Duke of Cambridge Scholarship, will
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