One of the great pleasures in our Summer Music festival is the opportunity it affords each year, to recognise particular students for their outstanding contributions to extra-curricular music-making throughout the academic year. The recent ceremony, which took place on Day Four of the festival, also welcomed some distinguished guests to award the prizes.
The Canterbury Festival Music Prize was awarded to final-year Music Performance Scholars Charlotte Farmer and Heather Moss. Completing her degree in Wildlife Conservation, Charlotte has been a regular performer with University Orchestra, Concert Band, the Flute Choir, as well as singing in Chorus, Cecilian Choir and FolkSingers; she has also been this year’s President of the Music Society, actively leading the student society in activities including a very successful ceilidh in aid of a mental health charity earlier this term. When not wielding a hockey-stick as part of the University team, Heather has founded and led FolkShop, exploring folk music and taking the group to performances both around campus and elsewhere – fitting a busy musical life alongside her degree in Sport and Exercise Science. We were delighted to welcome Director of the Canterbury Festival, Susannah Stephenson, to present the prizes.
As any musician will know, there’s an awful lot that happens behind the scenes, before the polished presentation of performing; the Colyer-Fergusson Music Prize, presented in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the organising of music events, was awarded to first-year Music Performance Scholar, flautist Hunter Herbert, for his invaluable (and unprompted) assistance with setting up rehearsals, indexing music, for both Orchestra and Chorus. Also studying Wildlife Conservation, Hunter was presented with his prize by Chair of the Canterbury Festival, and former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Keith Mander.
The John Craven Music Prize, awarded to a returning student, went to second-year Music Performance Scholar, Roshan Dosanjh. Roshan sings in Chorus and the Cecilian Choir, as well as being a leading light in the Musical Theatre Society, playing lead roles in productions, and running a A Cappella vocal group; he also sang the aria ‘Hostias’ in a recent performance of Faure’s Requiem. Roshan received his prize from Chair of the Music Scholarship Committee (and member of the woodwind section in Orchestra), Professor Dan Lloyd.
The David Humphreys Music Prize, a bequest from the late David Humphreys who was a passionate supporter of extra-curricular music at Kent, is awarded to a student who has made a special contribution to music – and this year was won by Ikeoluwa Hamzat, an Engineering student, in recognition of his leadership of Kent Gospel Choir, which has performed throughout the year, including a Lunchtime Concert in Colyer-Fergusson Hall, events in Gulbenkian, and in particular as part of the Voices of Sanctuary event, a high-profile public event in Canterbury Cathedral in November. The prize was awarded by the Director of the Development Office, Hilary Edridge.
The final prize is the University Upper Voice Music Prize, which went to Tayo Fanifosi, who has sung with the University Big Band throughout the year – the ever-popular Christmas Singalong, the spring gala concert, the opening night of our Summer Music festival, Deal Memorial Bandstand on Day Three, and on the penultimate night of the festival celebrating legendary songs. In her final year studying Architecture, Tayo’s voice has lent new heights to the big band’s performances – her prize was presented by Head of Music Performance, Dan Harding.
Many thanks and congratulations to the prize-winners, and thanks indeed for all your commitment to music-making this year. The ceremony took place following the Music Scholars’ Lunchtime Recital, which also featured flautist Oceanne Ryckembeusch-Todd (pictured in the group photo, top) as part of the programme. It’s been a really good year for music; here’s looking to the next…
Photos (c) University of Kent / Nathan Eaton-Baudains
The Choir, comprising students, staff and alumni, is a by-invitation choir, which has previously appeared on BBC Radio 4’s My Choir and Heart Kent Radio, and also sung the service of Choral Evensong at the Cathedral.
The solo verse to ‘Once in royal David’s city’ was launched high and clear into the hushed expectancy of the Cathedral Nave by final-year Wildlife Conservation student and Music Performance flute Scholar, Charlotte Farmer.
Our annual festival was launched with a first half of ravishing colours from Minerva Voices, in works ranging from Sarah Quartel’s This We Know to Russell Hepplewhite’s evocative Fly away, over the sea, the Tudor round Ah, Robyn, and other pieces, accompanied by first-year Music Performance Scholar, Hannah Tudor.
The second half saw the mixed-voice Cecilian Choir, comprising students, staff and alumni, in a vivid performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, accompanied by a five-piece consort, and featuring solos from final-year students Leonie Carrette, Florence Kingdon, Rachel Fung and Amanda Schott.
As always, the concert is supported by the David Humphreys Fund, a bequest left by David in honour of his wife, Julia; the opportunity to perform in such a richly-sonorous, historic and intimate space is one of the highlights of the musical calendar, and we remain grateful to the Humphreys family for their generous support.
I am running the London Marathon in April 2025 for Asthma + Lung UK, formerly the British Lung Foundation, who are fighting for healthy lungs for everyone. They aim to improve public awareness of the symptoms of asthma and lung disease and develop ways to diagnose lung conditions better and faster. This charity is important to me as I have suffered from asthma for almost 10 years, making running 26.2 miles a challenge which I am so excited to take on! Running has already helped my asthma so much and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to raise both money and awareness.
Additionally, last year, a friend of mine who was only 20 years old tragically died at university from an asthma attack, and he did not know he even had the condition. As much as I will be running for myself, I will also be running for him, and for a world where no one loses their life or their loved ones to this disease.