News from alumni

Following the release of this year's Oxford Musician magazine, it's been great to hear from more alumni with news to share!

Congratulations to Professor Lionel Pike (Pembroke, 1959) whose book 'A Passion for Symphonies: Robert Simpson (1921-1997)' is now available from Austin Macauley. This is the first full-length study of the symphonies of Robert Simpson to be offered to the general public. Simpson is perhaps best known for his BBC work, including the Promenade Concerts and such innovatory radio programmes as The Innocent Ear; but critics have hailed him as one of the finest writers of symphonies of the twentieth century—one who additionally spent a lifetime examining and talking about works of this kind, being particularly interested in the oeuvres of Bruckner, Nielsen and Sibelius. As a result, his compositions provide invaluable case studies for the understanding of this most demanding of compositional forms, as well as being a string of eleven masterpieces spanning the last half of the twentieth century.

Lionel is an Emeritus Professor (Music) at Royal Holloway, University of London, and was the organist of the college chapel there from 1969 to 2005. For four years, he served as the dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of London. He was a chorister and assistant organist of Bristol Cathedral, and at Oxford, was organ scholar of Pembroke College, his tutors being Sir David Lumsden and Dr H.K. Andrews. 

We were also pleased to hear from Michael Brown (Balliol, 1977), who is now the organist at St Pancras' Church, Widecombe-in-the-Moor on Dartmoor in Devon, known as the "cathedral of the moor". 18 months ago Michael launched a project to raise funds for a new organ, which was achieved through several concerts and some large donations. An instrument was inaugurated recently, acquired from Christ Church Cathedral where it was the choir organ for five years. Current Music student George Balfour, who is the senior organ scholar at Christ Christ, will be performing in a recital on the organ on Saturday 16 November.

Following news in the magazine of her album Heaven and Earth, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange (Hertford, 1990) is releasing a second album on Signum Records, this time of her Christmas and winter-themed choral pieces, entitled Winter Light. Recorded by London Voices and produced by Alexander L’Estrange (Merton, 1991), the album includes a setting of In the Bleak Midwinter for SSAA & harp, dedicated to Anna Lapwood (Magdalen, 2013). Six of the tracks feature pianist Harry Baker (St Anne's, 2015).