Music

The Merton College Music Society has continued to thrive this past year, welcoming back returning ensembles and opening the doors to new and exciting opportunities and events. The society has been a reliable and inclusive aspect of Merton’s community, with the weekly Fidelio Orchestra and Kodály Choir rehearsals being key social and welfare activities for many. This year the focus has been on expanding its presence within Merton and becoming more inclusive via student-led concerts and events.

Regular lunchtime recitals, held in the TS Eliot Theatre, have been a popular staple this year. The high standard of solo and chamber music performances by members of both the JCR and MCR was truly incredible and included original compositions. These provided performance opportunities for students from a wide range of subjects, while also enabling music students to rehearse before exams. They have been, without a doubt, the most popular feature of the Music Society and we will ensure to continue this tradition next year.

At the beginning of Michaelmas term, the society hosted a freshers’ concert. This provided the first-year students with a chance to experience musical life here at Merton. In addition, the annual College Showcase made a return, featuring performances by instrumental award holders from both the JCR and MCR. This term also saw the start of what we hope is a new tradition for the Music Society: film nights. Every other week, the society hosted film nights featuring recordings of operas and ballets from the Royal Opera House. These proved to be very popular and a great success.

Sadly, the term also saw the farewell of our previous Warden, Professor Irene Tracey. The Music Society, with the help of Benjamin Nicholas, our Director of Music, organised a farewell concert, to show our deep appreciation for all that Professor Tracey has done in her time here at Merton to support music. The programme included music by Barbara Strozzi, Handel, Holst, Madeleine Dring, and the first movement of Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G minor. The College Choir closed the concert with Bob Chilcott’s arrangement of Billy Joel’s And so It goes.

In Hilary term, the Fidelio Orchestra performed a concert in Merton’s Chapel, featuring works by Mozart and Haydn. This is the second year since the Fidelio Orchestra combined forces with the orchestras of Magdalen and University colleges to form a large inter-college ensemble. It has continued to be a great success by allowing us to perform bigger and more impressive works. Hilary term also saw the return of our annual Musical Soirée, featuring a variety of excellent performances. These included original compositions and improvisations by instrumental award holder Leo Yablans (2022). Towards the end of the term the society held its first ever Early Music concert organised by organ scholar François Cloete (2022), featuring works by Bach, Corelli, Handel and Purcell.

Trinity term saw a particular rise in chamber music performances at Merton. A string quartet, made up of JCR musicians Tejas Krishnan, Ella McLoughlin, Antonia McClintock (all 2022) and Victor Wang, performed both Brahms and an original composition by Wang. The society also hosted a chamber music concert, organised by JCR music students Edward Chesterman (2021) and Lewis Lee (2021), in collaboration with students from St John’s College, St Peter’s College, and the Royal College of Music. The concert included an outstanding performance of Mendelssohn’s Octet. The term also saw the Music Society collaborate with Merton Welfare to organise a cake and piano evening, a wonderful way to round off the year.

The Music Society hopes to continue its many traditions, encourage its ensembles, and looks forward to the new opportunities and experiences the coming year will bring.

Megan Harfield (2021)

Merton College Music Society President 2022-23

The Merton College Music Society has had an exciting year, with the return of many ensembles and events, including the Fidelio Orchestra, the Kodály Choir and the weekly lunchtime recital series in the TS Eliot Theatre. This year, the Music Society has focused on providing musical opportunities and reviving and establishing College ensembles that were not possible during pandemic restrictions, and to do so in a way that drives inclusivity.

The Music Society expanded at the start of this academic year to include a number of committee positions, including a concerts coordinator (Cecily Moorsom, 2020), a chamber music coordinator (Lewis Lee, 2021), a secretary (Jamie Cochrane, 2019), a treasurer and social secretary (Shaunak Desai, 2021), and a social media officer (Kit Thickett, 2020), with a view to making the music society more inclusive to non-music students. At the start of the next academic year, the role of president, traditionally taken up by second-year music students, will be open to students from any subject area for the first time in many years.

MCMS has hosted a series of Beginner’s Conducting Workshops this year, led by Senior Organ Scholar Kentaro Machida (2019), giving students the rare opportunity to conduct a piano duet version of the orchestra’s repertoire and to receive feedback on their technique in a low-pressure environment, with no previous experience required.

In Michaelmas term, the society hosted a ‘Freshers and Re-Freshers’ concert at the start of term, giving first- and second-year students the opportunity to perform after what was for many a long hiatus. Michaelmas term also featured a return of the College Showcase, an annual event with performances by instrumental award holders from the JCR and the MCR. In the final week of Michaelmas, to celebrate ‘Oxmas’, members of the Kodály Choir and the newly formed Chamber Choir, directed by Eleni Thwaites (2020), went carol singing in various locations around the city centre, raising an impressive total of £275 for the Oxford branch of Sing Inside, a charity that provides singing workshops and musical opportunities in prisons.

In Hilary term, the Fidelio Orchestra performed its first concert since combining forces with the orchestras of Magdalen and University colleges to form a larger intercollegiate ensemble. The concert also featured a performance from the newly formed Chan Quartet, made up of JCR musicians Owen Chan (2020), Megan Harfield (2021), Catherine Dixon (2019) and Anna Stephen (2020). Hilary term also saw the return of the annual Musical Soirée with a variety of performances including an impressive performance by Eric McElroy (2018) of his own original piano composition, a piece for recorder player and two interpretative dancers, ‘The Actor with the Monkey’, performed by Cecily Moorsom, and a debut performance by the College Chamber Choir. Towards the end of Hilary term, MCMS held the society’s first chamber music concert, featuring performances from some newly formed College chamber ensembles, including the Chamber Choir.

The lunchtime recital series, now operating on a weekly basis, has seen a high standard of solo and chamber music performances throughout the year, and even original compositions, by students both from the JCR and the MCR. The series has included a termly Baroque Recital in the College Chapel, newly established by choral award holders Ciara Williams (2021), Kit Thickett, and Cecily Moorson at the start of this academic year. While the lunchtime recital series has featured student performers from a wide range of subjects, it has also provided an excellent opportunity for final-year music students to perform repertoire in preparation for conservatoire auditions and for Finals recitals.

Final-year music students Jamie Cochrane and Kentaro Machida both scored very highly in their final recitals, achieving marks in the high 70s and 80s. Jamie secured scholarships in courses at both the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Next year, the Music Society hopes to see the continued success of the many College ensembles and traditions that were revived and newly established this academic year, and to continue to strive towards greater inclusivity and a broader reach in the College community.

Catherine Dixon (2019)
MCMS President 2021-22

It has been a productive year for the Merton College Music Society, despite the challenges of the past year, thanks to the input of students across all years. Michaelmas 2020 saw the foundation of a new initiative to promote chamber music in College, in which musicians were paired up into several duos and small ensembles. Unfortunately, the implementation of a four-week national lockdown in November made it difficult for ensembles to rehearse and prevented progress with the scheme. Nevertheless, it demonstrated that such a scheme is viable and that there are musicians in College willing to take part. We hope that this will take place again next year, and that ensembles will have the opportunity to perform to an audience.

With most students away from College during Hilary, MCMS was forced to move online, but the society still managed to remain active during this time. Fortnightly social events on Zoom allowed musicians across College to come together and discuss ideas for what the Music Society could do virtually as well as in the future. Particularly pleasing was the creation of two virtual ensemble performances, in which students recorded their parts separately and these were then edited together. The Zoom socials also provided a platform for live online performances and a chance for musicians to share what they had been working on.

For Trinity term, the Music Society decided to put on a virtual concert. A request for contributions was well received and, with many students back in College, the concert was presented by putting up QR codes around College, each taking the viewer to a different recording. The end of term also saw the first in-person recital in the TS Eliot Theatre in a long time, with Eric McElroy (2018) on the piano. The society hopes that the easing of restrictions will allow for further in-person recitals next year and a chance to work with the composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad, the Visiting Research Fellow in the Creative Arts for 2021.

Jamie Cochrane (2019)
MCMS President 2019-20

Michaelmas term 2019 saw the introduction of the College Music Awards, whereby the recipients are contracted to participate in college music, and these musicians participated in recitals and showcases through the two in-college terms. On 19 November, MCMS hosted its Music Showcase in the TS Eliot Theatre. The evening featured a varied programme from college musicians and College Music Award recipients, including ensembles and solo performances, followed by a wine reception. The Showcase is a staple of the MCMS Michaelmas programme and was well attended. There was an attempt to advertise for the college orchestra, Fidelio, with a social held in Mob 1 in fourth week of Michaelmas, but although this was advertised, the event was poorly attended. There are ongoing efforts to revive the college orchestra. Through Michaelmas term there were organ recitals on the Chapel’s Dobson organ on Tuesday lunchtimes, including a performance by our Director of Music. The final event of Michaelmas term was the Kodály Choir Christmas Showcase, where the open-to-all college choir performed at the end of a term’s work in the Chapel.

Hilary term’s main event for MCMS was the musical soirée on 13 February in the TS Eliot Theatre. This was a new addition to the year’s programme. Participation was open to all college performers, including performers from the MCR, as an informal evening of music-making. The concert was preceded by a wine reception. The evening was well attended, and featured an extremely varied programme of instruments, ensembles and performance modes that reflected the rich music-making in College.

There were lunchtime recitals in the TS Eliot Theatre throughout the year, varying in instruments and performers. These recitals continue to be a cornerstone of college music-making, and offer the opportunity for public performance for Merton musicians and students from other colleges. The final recital of the Hilary term recital series was the performance of one of our third-year music students of her finals’ recital programme, and late-Hilary recitals continue to be a useful opportunity for music students to perform their exam programmes in College.

Plans for Trinity term included a continuation of the recital series, as well as an all-female production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. This performance would have taken place in the Chapel on Friday and Saturday of fourth week, and would have been the first opera production for both Merton and MCMS. This production has been postponed indefinitely.

Áine Smith (2018)
MCMS President 2019-20

This past academic year has been an exciting time for the Merton College Music Society, with many students, both Mertonians and not, getting involved with the College’s music-making.

Michaelmas term saw a number of excellent lunchtime recitals in the TS Eliot Theatre, including the Freshers’ Concert, which demonstrated the diverse musical talent of Merton’s new student intake. Hilary term brought with it not only a copious amount of ice and snow (making the Chapel too cold for Fidelio Orchestra to play in at one point), but also the Oxford & Durham Jazz Off – an event that Oxford clearly won – and the MCMS Showcase Concert, giving students from all years a chance to perform in front of the Warden.

Trinity began with a bang as Tom Fetherstonhaugh (2016) and Athena Hawksley-Walker (2016), performed Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas Nos. 5 and 7 live on Radio 3. Furthermore Fidelio Orchestra were given a chance to show off their skills in the College Chapel, playing a selection of movements from Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat major. MCMS’s involvement with Oxford’s a cappella groups continued, with the TS Eliot hosting The Oxford Commas for their annual Trinity Term Concert – an occasion whose smooth running I owe to the brilliant efforts of my Co-President, Lucy Gibbs (2017). I think most who attended would agree that the combined talent of both Kodály Choir and Merton Chapel Choir was displayed fully in this year’s Merton Big Sing; the performance of such choral classics as I was glad and Jerusalem providing a fitting end to the musical events of the term.

Next year, we are very much looking forward to expanding our horizons, while continuing the tradition of lunchtime recitals, with plans to independently organise a selection of larger-scale musical events. Lucy and I would like to thank Ben Nicholas and all the other musicians for their continued involvement and support, and we excitedly await the new talent arriving in October.

Will Thomson (2017)
MCMS Co-President 2017-18