Issue 3 Lent Term 2002

Lightning conductorJeffrey Tate

Cutting edgeWhat future for NATO?

By appointmentWorking for The Queen

pieces

www.christs.cam.ac.uk/alumni

from Christ’s College Cambridge

This edition of pieces is the last members’ publication of my Mastership, although I very much hope tostay in touch with many of you after I retire in July. Since I arrived in the Lodge in 1995, I have workedhard to foster better and more frequent contacts between members of Christ’s and your College.I am delighted that new initiatives like the Year Group Representative Scheme and the College websiteare making it easier than ever for members to communicate among themselves and with Christ’s.

However, none of this would have been possible without the information you yourselves haveprovided. Over the last six years, we have undertaken a rolling programme of sending out Members’Record Update forms to every member of College.The information you have fed back to College hasenabled us to respond to your wishes, and to devise new methods of maintaining contact in anincreasingly busy world.

To maintain this forward progress, may I ask you to take a few moments to look over the form on theback of the carrier sheet sent with this magazine? It would be very helpful if you could fill in anymissing information and correct any errors, before returning the form to the Alumni Office at Christ’s(you can use a freepost address within the UK: Christ’s College, FREEPOST CB538, CambridgeCB2 3BR).The information will be invaluable in helping us keep our records fully up-to-date.

The next big development in our services for members is the launch of a secure online directory.Thiswill replace the paper directory, which inevitably goes out of date even before it is published. However,paper copies of the online directory will still be available on demand, for a small fee.To comply withData Protection legislation, please indicate on your update form those details which you would like toappear in the online directory. I should stress that only bona fide members of Christ’s will be issuedwith a password for the directory. If you have any queries, please contact the Alumni Office(telephone +44 (0)1223 334937 / email alumni@christs.cam.ac.uk), who will be pleased to help.

Thank you for your time – and please stay in touch with Christ’s.We are always delighted to hearfrom members, and to welcome you back to College.

Best wishes,

Alan MunroMaster of Christ’s

The Master writes:

Christ’s College Cambridge Editorial 1

contentseditorial 1in the news 2development news 3cutting edge 5features 6members’ page 12events and reunions 13

The editor welcomesall comments on pieces and suggestions or material for future editions. Please contact:Dr Toby Wilkinson,Development Director,Christ’s College,Cambridge CB2 3BU Telephone: 01223 766710 Fax: 01223 766711E-mail: tahw1@cus.cam.ac.uk

Front cover pictureDr Jeffrey Tate in rehearsal

EditorialAs Christ’s looks forward to the 500th anniversary of its foundationby the Lady Margaret Beaufort, her direct descendant, QueenElizabeth II, celebrates her Golden Jubilee this year.The links betweenCollege and Crown stretch back over five centuries, and aremaintained today.The College Visitor is HRH The Duke of Edinburgh;while a member of Christ’s, Lord Luce (1957), is in overall charge ofthe Royal Household as Lord Chamberlain.To mark the GoldenJubilee year, this edition of pieces features interviews with threeChrist’s alumni whose careers have brought them into close contactwith The Queen: as her racehorse trainer, her Assistant PrivateSecretary, and as Royal Librarian at Windsor Castle.

At great occasions and on a more intimate scale, music has alwaysplayed an important role. For five hundred years, the College hasnurtured young musicians. By means of organ scholarships, choralexhibitions and instrumental awards, this tradition continues – thanksto the generous support of alumni and other benefactors, describedon page 4.This edition of pieces offers a celebratory fanfare to themusical life of the College, and to Christ’s musicians – represented byconductor Jeffrey Tate and violinist Nicki Bradford.

The half-century of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has witnessed greatchanges, nationally and internationally. Major transformations of HigherEducation in Britain have affected universities and students alike.Theestablishment of the Simon & Jill Campbell Foundation, featured onpage 3, therefore marks a particularly welcome and timely initiative tooffset the pressures on student finances, and encourage able youngpeople from less well-off backgrounds to apply to Cambridge.

Finally, the major forces that are shaping Europe at the beginning ofthe 21st century are the subject of cutting edge research by a fellowof Christ’s, Kristina Spohr (page 5). In the future, as over the past fiftyyears of The Queen’s reign, Christ’s College is determined to remainat the forefront of positive developments in education and research,to change our world for the better.

AcknowledgementsChrist’s College is very grateful to Sir Martin Sorrell, Group Chief Executive,WPP Group plc,for facilitating the original design of pieces; and to John Murray, President and CEO ofGlobalbrander.com, for additional advice.Thanks are also due to Jeffrey Tate, Oliver Everett,Nicki Bradford,Tim Hitchens and Ian Balding for permission to reproduce photographs.

2 in the news Christ’s College Cambridge

inthenewsCover starProfessor Simon Schama (1963, Honorary Fellowsince 1995) achieved that rarest of accolades foran academic: his picture on the front cover of theRadio Times (5–11 May 2001).To coincide withthe second series of A History of Britain, ProfessorSchama was also interviewed on BBC Radio 4’sarts programme Front Row (8 May 2001), whenhe mentioned his great teacher, the late JackPlumb.

Garden of delightsA feature on Cambridge gardens in the Daily Mail(23 June 2001) described the Christ’s Fellows’Garden as ‘the grandest’ in Cambridge.The articlehighlighted the 18th century bathing pool and ‘the400-year-old mulberry tree under which the poetMilton dozed and composed.’ It concluded that‘Cambridge college gardens make a delightfulretreat from a busy city.’

Number one‘Christ’s College holds on to top slot atCambridge’ was the Independent’s headline (30 July 2001) following the publication of the2001 Tompkins Table. For the third year insuccession, Christ’s came top of the table, which is based on examination results. Christ’s studentsalso recorded the highest number of First classmarks of any college – 31.8%.

Big in businessTwo of Christ’s most prominent businessmenalumni were nominated by the Sunday Telegraphfor its Corporate Giants 2001 Awards (9 September 2001). Sir Martin Sorrell (1963),chief executive of WPP, was nominated forBusiness Leader of the Year.The paper describedhow his leadership had ‘rewarded his backerswith stellar performance.’ John Makinson (1973),of Pearson plc, was nominated for FinanceDirector of the Year.

On the recordThe Lord Chamberlain, Lord Luce (1957), gave anunprecedented interview to the Sunday Telegraph(8 July 2001) following the publication of hisreview into the business interests of the RoyalFamily. He stressed that the guidelines weremeant to avoid potential conflicts of interest, butthat ‘at the end of the day it is up to individualmembers of the Royal Family to make their ownjudgements’.

Those were the days…The changing cost of a Cambridge education washighlighted in the Sunday Times (1 July 2001)which featured the story of grandfather andgrandson, Donald Piggott and Nick Courtenay-Evans, who both studied at Christ’s. Piggott, astudent from 1939 to 1941, recalled how luckyhe and his generation were: “Laughable as itseems now, it cost about £330 a year to study atCambridge.” By comparison, students graduatingtoday leave College with an average debt of£12,500, ‘even for those who have worked intheir holidays in an attempt to reduce theburden.’ Nick commented “Students now arepushed for money.” (The recently announced Simon& Jill Campbell Foundation has been established tohelp in this regard – see opposite.)

Golden wonderOlympic gold-medallist and last year’s President ofthe Cambridge University Boat Club, Kieran West(1995), won the Cambridge Evening NewsSportswriters’ Award for his outstanding rowingperformances over the year. During thepresentation at the Cambridge Science Park,Kieran was modest about his achievements: “I’mjust a normal guy,” he said. “I’m a student and, if Ican do it, I’m sure there are people at theseawards who will be with me in Athens for theOlympics in three years’ time” (3 July 2001).We’ll be watching…

Rising to the challengeOn the BBC2 quiz programme UniversityChallenge (6 August 2001), a team from Christ’sCollege beat rivals Edinburgh University by 190points to 150, to win a place in the second round.The team consisted of undergraduates J S Dhesi(reading Modern Languages), O W Lee (readingHistory), P Davis (reading Maths) and captain C R H Martin, (reading Pharmacology).

Calm under fireThe Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams (1968),Archbishop of Wales, spoke on BBC Radio 4’sToday programme (13 September 2001) aboutbeing trapped in a church next to the twintowers of the World Trade Center in New Yorkwhen they were destroyed in terrorist attacks.He said the experience had helped him tounderstand the plight of people living in war-tornareas of the world.

The end of an eraThe death of Sir John Plumb (Fellow since 1946,Master 1978–82) marked the end of an era forChrist’s, and the demise of one of the greatesthistorians of the twentieth century. Obituarieswere published by newspapers in Britain and theUnited States, reflecting Sir John’s internationalreputation.Writing in the Guardian (22 October2001), Neil McKendrick (1953, Honorary Fellowsince 1996) described Sir John as ‘a hugelyinfluential teacher… and an unforgettablycolourful character’. For the Independent(27 October 2001), Simon Schama (1963,Honorary Fellow since 1995) summed up SirJohn’s achievements in light of recent worldevents: ‘Should history… somehow keep a placein the indispensable archive of our beaten-upworld, it will be because Jack Plumb wrote andtaught and lived as he did.’

Christ’s College Cambridge development news 3

Last September, the College was delighted toannounce the establishment of theSimon and Jill Campbell Foundation toprovide bursaries for students from state schoolsreading Natural Sciences or Mathematics. Up toten bursaries of £1000 will be offered each yearto students who have gained admission toChrist’s and who could suffer significantfinancial difficulties without help from theFoundation.

Here, Dr Simon Campbell FRS describes someof the thinking behind the Foundation:“I left school at 17 because I could not afford togo to University, and I worked in industry for ayear. I was then fortunate to be awarded a fullLocal Authority grant for maintenance and fees,which I supplemented by working in theholidays. This meant that I was able to go toUniversity, complete my BSc and PhD and thenpursue a successful scientific career in industrythat culminated in election as a Fellow of theRoyal Society. If there had not been a full grantavailable, or a Foundation like ours to turn to,my life would have been completely different.Unfortunately, times have changed, and therehas been a marked shift in higher educationfunding away from central government andlocal authorities and much more towardsfamilies and individuals. We have been worriedfor some time that there are bright and ablestudents who may not be able to go to universitywithout new forms of financial support thatsupplement the current system.”Jill Campbell continues: “We are also concernedabout the negative impact of student debt thatseems to be increasing over the years and whichcan be a further barrier to pursuing a universityeducation We hope that Foundation bursarieswill help students to relieve some of that debtand reduce financial worries while at Christ’s,and as they enter thewider world post-graduation.”

The challenge for Cambridge, like all other

universities is to make the pool of applicantsbetter reflect the pool of talent at age 18. Forthis reason, when awarding bursaries from theFoundation, preference will be given to talentedstudents from state schools in the UnitedKingdom. Indeed, an explicit aim of theFoundation is to encourage such students toapply to Cambridge. As Jill Campbell explains,“The underlying concept of the Foundation wasthat we really want to help bright students fromstate schools to enter one of the best universitiesin the country by alleviating significant financialbarriers. We chose Cambridge initially becausewe know that students are of the highest quality,and there is also a world-class commitment toscience and mathematics. Choosing collegeslargely reflected personal interactions and myhusband has worked closely with Chris Abell atChrist’s.”

The Foundation was established by a donationof shares to the College under new and tax-efficient arrangements introduced in 2000.Simon and Jill Campbell are keen to emphasisethat share donations are quite straightforward,and that there are tax advantages for bothparties:“When shares are donated to theCollege then the total value is transferred,including any capital gains, without the Collegeincurring any tax liabilities. Equally important,the benefactor can deduct the total value of thedonation from taxable income simply bycompleting his or her tax return in the normalmanner. Nothing could be simpler.We donatedour share certificates to Christ’s and a formalletter of acknowledgement from the Collegeconfirming receipt and value is sufficientsupport for an income tax return.”

In the years ahead, Simon and Jill Campbellhope to hear that their Foundation “has helpedmore bright students from state schools studyscience and mathematics at Cambridge and thatthe bursaries offered have made a real financialdifference.”

Fair shares

AboveJill and Simon Campbell outside the Master’s Lodge

“When shares are donated to the College then thetotal value is transferred, including any capital gains…

Equally important, the benefactor can deduct thetotal value of the donation from taxable income…

Nothing could be simpler.”

In recognition of their contribution to thedevelopment of the College, Christ’s has beenpleased to elect Simon and Jill Campbell to aLady Margaret Beaufort Fellowship. For furtherinformation on making charitable gifts of sharesand securities to Christ’s College, please contactthe Development Director (Telephone +44(0)1223 766710). The Simon and Jill CampbellFoundation supports a similar level of bursariesat Sidney Sussex College.

Success on the CamNine months on from the formation of theFriends of Christ’s College Boat Club, theClub’s Chief Coach, Mike Muir-Smith (1962),reports on how the Friends’ support istranslating into success on the river:“Last term, CCBC was the most successfulcollege club on the Cam. We won the UniversityMen’s Coxed Fours, and were the overall

winners of the Autumn Head with the 1st VIII,2nd VIII and Men’s Fours all winning theirrespective divisions. The Men’s 1st VIII alsowon the Winter Head, while the Women’s 1st IVgot to the semi-final of the University Fours.The men start this term’s Lent Bumps in fifthplace with the Headship in their sights.I am now in my tenth year as Chief Coach and

would like to mark this anniversary by askingyou personally to help the Boat Club bybecoming a Friend of CCBC for the very smallannual contribution of £15, by cash, cheque orcredit card. Your support will help us achieveeven greater success in the future.”Please contact the Development Director (tel: +44 (0)1223 766710) for details.

4 Development news Christ’s College Cambridge

In a recent ‘rough guide’ to Cambridge collegespublished by The Times, Christ’s was hailed as‘best for music’. This might have surprised somepeople. After all, the College is perhaps morefamous for its outstanding academic performancein recent years. However, Christ’s has always beenconcerned to provide students with the breadth ofexperience to equip them for the world afteruniversity. This means supporting the full range ofstudent societies, sports, the arts, and music.

The musical life of the College is rich and diverse.The Christ’s College Music Society (CCMS), nowover a hundred years old, organises a variedprogramme of concerts and recitals each term,giving College musicians the opportunity to shineas soloists, in chamber groups, or as members ofan orchestra. Some of the very bestinstrumentalists at Christ’s are supported byInstrumental Awards which help defray the costsof expert tuition.

The activities of the Chapel Choir, Christ’s Voices,and the Christ’s College Music Society aresupported by the College through the grantallocated to the Student Union.

The College is especially grateful to its benefactorswhose generosity will help to ensure that musiccontinues to flourish at Christ’s. Recentbenefactions to support music include:

The Ralph & Prudence Raphael Award forinstrumentalists, established as an endowment byMrs Prudence Raphael, widow of the lateProfessor Ralph Raphael CBE FRS (Fellow andHonorary Fellow)

The Helen Thornton organ scholarship,established by Helen Meixner, widow of the lateJack Thornton CB OBE (m. 1932).

Thank youfor the music

Choral singing is also flourishing at Christ’s. Ledby the Director of Music and the two organscholars, the Chapel Choir (pictured below) singsevensong twice a week in full term, and gives awide range of concerts throughout the UK andoverseas. In recent years, the Choir’s tours havetaken it to Hong Kong, Australia and NewZealand, the USA and Canada. The Choir alsoundertakes an active recording programme. Itslatest CD, Music of the Tudors, is now available.

Individual choir members who meet the requiredstandard are awarded Choral Exhibitions and thecost of singing lessons arranged by the Director ofMusic. Like the Instrumental Awards scheme, thissignals the College’s determination to maintain thehigh standard of musical performance for which ithas become known. An amateur choir, Christ’sVoices, gives other keen singers the chance toperform large-scale choral works twice a year.

LeftA student string quartet rehearses in the Lloyd Room

Music Challenge FundThe College is delighted, and excited, toannounce the establishment of a Music ChallengeFund. An anonymous benefactor has agreed tomatch, pound for pound up to a maximum of£35,000, all funds that the College raises over thenext 12 months to support music.This is amagnificent gesture of support, and we hope thatall music lovers will wish to help Christ’s meet thechallenge. If you would like to help, please contactthe Development Director (Tel +44 (0)1223766710; Fax +44 (0)1223 766711).

Music of the Tudors

Tallis: Lamentations and other sacred works byMundy, Parsons, Sheppard,Taverner & White

The Choir ofChrist’s College,Cambridge

Directed byDavid Rowland

Christ’s College Cambridge Cutting edge 5

Dr Kristina Spohr, JuniorResearch Fellow at Christ’sCollege (since 2001).

“I think 11 September2001 might be seen as awatershed in post-ColdWar politics.”

Securityconscious

“Between 1990 and 2000, Germany had prettyclose relations with the Soviet Union and thenRussia. This was partly due to good personalchemistry between Kohl and Gorbachev, thenYeltsin, but it was also in Germany’s nationalinterest: so that Russian troops would withdrawfrom East Germany, and give the newly unifiedcountry real sovereignty. Because of thisGerman–Russian axis, and despite Germany’srhetoric of promoting eastern Europe’s return tothe ‘institutional West’, Germany didn’t take avery active stance in helping the Baltic States tobecome NATO members. In other words, althoughwe talk about European integration driven byinstitutions, actually post-Cold War politics aredominated by nation-states and their nationalinterests.”

Contemporary historian Kristina Spohr spentseven months at NATO headquarters in Brussels,after completing her doctoral thesis on unifiedGermany’s eastern policy. Access to theorganisation’s top officials and classifieddocuments have given Kristina an unparalleledinsight into the way NATO works, its strategies,and its complex role in international relations. Thefuture, eastward expansion of NATO is one focusof her current research, and she explains some ofthe underlying motives: “In 1997, NATOenlargement was mainly a political decision,because Germany wanted to guarantee its vitalsecurity interests. Even if it wasn’t said, Russiawas seen as a threat.”

“We can’t go back.” Despite Russian objections,Kristina firmly believes that further NATOenlargement is inevitable, as the organisation hasalready invited countries to be part of itsMembership Action Plan. “You can’t leadcountries down a certain road and then tell them togo away.” What may change, however, is thewhole process of enlargement: “It would be much

more visionary to look at enlargement as a gradualprocess, in which all aspirants would be invited tojoin NATO, but could only become full membersafter fulfilling certain criteria. Since a consensusof all NATO members is required to invite newcountries, with such a process this would onlyhappen once. That’s a really big step.”

The events of 11 September last year will, Kristinabelieves, have far-reaching implications:“Institutions like NATO are much more underpressure to define clearly their future role andmission. Today, it has nothing to do with territoryand nuclear deterrence, but successfulcounterattack. ‘Defence’ is now part of ‘security’.This change happened in 1999 at the Washingtonsummit. NATO now has to deal with risks, notthreats. These risks include terrorism, regionalconflicts, ethnic and religious tensions, corruption,and organised crime. Now it’s not only aboutcollective defence, it’s actually more aboutcommon security.”

“The Russians have always wanted to have a saywithin NATO.” In the wake of the attacks onAmerica, international alliances are being re-drawn, and Kristina is clear about Russia’smotives for offering assistance to the anti-terrorcoalition: “It wants the West to look away fromthe Chechen problem. The Russians have alwaystalked about Chechen terrorists, and now theythink the West will underwrite their actions.Russia also wants to join the World TradeOrganisation; at the moment, America is happyto prepare the negotiations. If Russia gets thesetwo things, plus a new body where it can consulteven more closely with NATO, it will be easierfor Putin to sell NATO enlargement to his ownpeople and the military. He has understood thatNATO will enlarge, and probably to the BalticStates; but Moscow must be able to sell itinternally.”

Enlargement will not be trouble-free, even withRussian compliance. Kristina explains: “DespiteNATO’s new definition of threat and risk, defenceand security, the Baltic States look at politicstoday with a sharp awareness of their fate in thepast. They were overrun from the East, andnobody in the West came to their aid. Even today,they live with that fear, and one has to understandwhere it comes from.” For that reason, Kristina’snew project is to study the ‘Baltic Question’ in the20th century. For, as an historian, she appreciatesthat planning for the future requires a firmunderstanding of the past.

Christ’s College Cambridge Feature 7

Oliver Everett CVO, Librarian,Windsor Castle, andAssistant Keeper of The Queen’s Archives (since 1985).Born 28 February 1943. Studied Natural Sciences andHistory at Christ’s College 1962–65. HM DiplomaticService 1967–81 (Assistant Private Secretary toHRH The Prince of Wales 1978–80); Private Secretaryto HRH The Princess of Wales 1981–83; DeputyLibrarian,Windsor Castle, 1984.

“The Royal Library here at Windsor is probablybest known internationally for its amazingcollection of Old Master drawings, numberingabout 40,000. Of those, almost half were collectedby George III – a great bibliophile. But the currentlibrary was only established in the 1830s. It wasWilliam IV who walked around Windsor Castlewith Jeffry Wyattville the architect, and theyselected three rooms on the north side to be thenew royal library.” Sitting in his late 15th centuryoffice (the same age as the First Court of Christ’sCollege), overlooking the battlements of WindsorCastle, Oliver Everett enthuses about the historyof the castle and its unique library.

Some of Britain’s most important books andmanuscripts fall under Oliver’s care, and hehighlights a few examples of the Library’streasures: “The earliest printed book we have isthe Mainz Psalter, published in 1457. There areonly nine or ten copies left in the world, and oursis in the best condition. That’s our most importantprinted book. But there are many others with royalconnections – for example, a copy of the diatribeagainst Luther which King Henry VIII wrote in1521. He sent a copy to the Pope who then gavehim the title Defender of the Faith. That copy isstill in the Vatican Library – but our copy is signedby Henry VIII himself.”

“The acquisitions policy continues, but not on thesame scale as years past.” More than just amuseum and a resource for scholars, the RoyalLibrary is also a working reference collection, andthis means keeping up to date with newpublications. Oliver explains “Currently we have asmall budget for purchases, mostly modern booksrather than antiquarian books. We focus on royalbiography, history, Commonwealth history, andreference books because we have to answer a lotof questions.” The Royal Library is also used byThe Queen herself: “During April each year, when

Her Majesty is at Windsor, she usually holds twoor three dinner parties, after which her guests arebrought to the Library where we put out special,tailor-made exhibitions. That has been going onfor a long time now, so The Queen is very wellaware of what is in the Library. It is also used byother members of the Royal Family to do researchfrom time to time.”

Increasing public access to the royal collections isone of Oliver’s priorities, and he explains the stepsthat are being taken. “We put on a large number ofexhibitions and we also have a very ambitious andlarge publications programme.” There are alsomore high-tech projects in the pipeline. “In May,The Queen will open the extended Queen’sGallery at Buckingham Palace, as a Royal Jubileeproject. We hope to have a multi-media gallery –including computerised access to objects in theroyal collection. To start with, we will concentrateon the objects in the first exhibition. Over time,we will transfer an increasing amount of materialonto the royal collection website. That will be ourmain contribution to being online, to allowingworldwide access to the collection.”

In its long history, Windsor Castle has witnessedmany dramatic events, not least the great fire of1992. Oliver recalls the efforts to rescue thepriceless collections housed in the Royal Library:“The fire started at 11.30am. We started toevacuate the library using something called asalvage list, which enabled us to take out the mostvaluable items first – for example the 600drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. We also removedabout a tenth of the books – and the librarycontains about 42,000 books! We had severalhuman chains including the Gurkhas. By 4.30 inthe afternoon, we were told we could stop becausethe fire wouldn’t reach us. It was about three orfour large rooms away, so luckily we didn’t getany smoke or water damage.”

Old Masters,new methods

AboveThe Royal Library,Windsor Castle

“My favourites vary fromyear to year. I am very

lucky and privileged to beable to spend time with

the entire collection.

With the castle restored to its former glory, Oliveris determined that the collections in his careshould play a central part in the visitor experience:“There is now a standing exhibition here atWindsor, so that the public is always able to seetreasures from the Royal Library.”

”

8 Feature Christ’s College Cambridge

The music

“Actually, it was luck to begin with. I was buying anew violin, and I went to a woman’s house to trythe violin she was selling. She heard me play andpassed my name onto somebody else, and I got twojobs out of that.” For Nicki Bradford, forging acareer as a freelance violinist is a combination ofluck and hard work: “It’s mostly being in the rightplace at the right time. But you also have to beprepared to sell yourself, not just sit back and waitfor it to happen.”

The change from student performances at Collegeto playing with the big orchestras has opened up anew world for Nicki, as she explains: “InCambridge there’s much more scope for playingchamber music – it’s easier to get people together. I always used to love playing solos, but now thatI’m doing a lot of orchestral playing I’m reallyenjoying that. It’s not so pressured in some ways,and I enjoy playing in a group with a lot of people.It feels amazing when it works really well. Youdon’t get that when you’re a soloist.”

“It’s very different from what you might expect.”Concert-goers experience only the ‘finishedproduct’, but Nicki admits that the rehearsal processcan be a rushed affair: “Usually, I’ll be phoned upand asked if I can go down for a rehearsal that day,to do a concert that evening – and that’s virtually it.I think that’s why British musicians have areputation for being brilliant sight-readers, becausethey have to do it all the time. In most othercountries, there is more money put into the arts, soorchestras have more time to rehearse; but I don’tknow whether it necessarily makes for a betterconcert or not. Here, performances definitely havean edge!”

Nicki believes the relationship between players andconductor is crucial: “It can make or break a piece.If you have a good conductor, it makes a noticeable

difference. Really it’s the energy. If you can tell thatthe conductor has an excellent knowledge of thepiece, and knows what he wants to do with it, theorchestra responds really well. Conductors who nit-pick and say ‘Can we just rehearse this little bit here?’ aren’t very popular.”

“The amount I practise varies according to how I feel and whether I’ve got something to worktowards. I would generally try and do about two orthree hours a day.” Nicki laughs when the questionis asked, but explains that quantity and quality arenot the same where practice is concerned: “I used todo quite a lot more when I was at music college.But I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to do too much.You can do yourself a lot of damage – especially ifyou’re playing concerts in the evening.”

Despite a vast repertoire for the violin, Nicki has nohesitation in naming her favourites: “I like playingEnglish composers particularly: I love Elgar andVaughan Williams. It’s really exciting when you’rein the orchestra – even if you’re sat at the back ofthe second violins – and you’re playing somethinglike that. I’ve also done a fair few concerts of filmmusic, which are fun as well. Star Wars is actuallyone of the most difficult things I’ve played in anorchestra!”

“When I was at College, I used to listen to a lot ofmusic, and I liked going to concerts. Now that it’smy life, I don’t even put on pop music that muchwhen I’m at home. I just want some quiet.Especially if I’ve been practising, I don’t want tohear anything!” Being a professional musician haschanged Nicki’s life, but she looks forward to herfuture career with relish: “I like the idea oftravelling as part of the job. It adds anotherdimension. I’d like to do a lot of different things. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the second violinssection of a symphony orchestra for the rest of mylife – it’s not me!”

Nicki Bradford, (left)freelance violinist (since2000). Born 20 October1976. Studied Music andEnglish at Christ’s College1995–98. Studied violin atthe Royal NorthernCollege of Music and theLondon Guildhall School ofMusic 1998–2000.

“Orchestral playing is a skill,but one that you can onlyreally learn on the job.”

Dr Jeffrey Tate CBE, (right)conductor. Born 28 April1943. Studied Medicine atChrist’s College 1961–64.Honorary Fellow since1988.

Christ’s College Cambridge Feature 9

“I suspected that I wanted to be in the Artsbefore I read Medicine.” Despite his choice ofdegree course Jeffrey Tate has never been inmuch doubt about his first love. While atCambridge, he involved himself mostly indrama, although he recalls “I did my first properconducting at Christ’s, with the Collegeorchestra.” Moving to London for his clinicalstudies, Jeffrey became increasingly involved inthe musical world. He eventually bowed to theinevitable and gave up his medical career tostudy at the London Opera Centre.

Jeffrey’s real break came some years later in theUSA. A chance remark resulted in him beingposted to the Metropolitan Opera in New York,as assistant to its famous principal conductor,James Levine. Jeffrey takes up the story: “I wasconducting an ensemble rehearsal and JimmyLevine came and sat in, and watched me doingit. The next thing I knew, I was beingsummoned to his office and he said, ‘you know,I think it would be appropriate if you took oversome of these performances.’ I realised that myMet debut was going to be Lulu without arehearsal. As I walked what seemed theinterminable corridor between the conductor’sroom and the stage, I thought ‘this is absolutelynightmarish. Why am I doing it?’ I did it. How itwent, I have no idea; but the New York Timesthought it was the most wonderful thing sincesliced bread, and that was that. I suddenly foundmyself a professional conductor.”

“What tends to happen is that, in the middle ofyour career, you become less new, lessinteresting. At the moment I’m probably doingexcellent work, but not in this country. They willrediscover me in ten years’ time.” Since his timewith the English Chamber Orchestra, Jeffrey’scareer has taken him largely overseas. Thelifestyle has its ups and downs: “The longest

time I’ve spent anywhere in the last five yearswas four-and-a-half months in Australia doingThe Ring. You do get a little tired of travelling.But the nice thing is that I have a whole panoplyof places I go that I know very well. I enjoy thestimulation of different orchestras and cultures.”

From his international perspective, Jeffrey isclear about the worst aspect of British music-making: “Shortage of rehearsal time. That’s onereason, maybe, why I don’t feel totally at homehere making music. I need time to develop myideas. I like going into details – which you knowthe average London orchestra won’t like!” Hecontinues: “The English have a total distrust ofmetaphysics. Surprisingly enough, Australiansdon’t mind. They have an extraordinaryopenness to discussing what the music’s about.American orchestras have an astonishingly highlevel of technical accomplishment, but they’re abit more like the English.”

“There’s only a certain amount of originality youcan bring to an interpretation. You can be radicalsometimes, but there is a tradition to be found.”Jeffrey expands on the art of conducting: “Ifthere’s a very famous interpretation of a standardpiece that you haven’t done, then it behoves youto listen to it.” New works are a different matter:“You just have to find your way yourself. I’mnot averse to that. However, when you dosomething for the first time, you’re well awarethat it won’t be your best performance. You needto feel the music under your fingers.”

Jeffrey’s own musical tastes are clear: “Thecentral German canon is what really meanssomething. I’m not into the overtly RomanticRussians or glittering French.” He also notes thatconductors are increasingly specialists: “Goneare the days when you could be a conductor likeFurtwängler who laid his hands on everything.”

“I’m not a conductor ofwhat I would call flashymusic.”

makers

10 Feature Christ’s College Cambridge

Queen’scounsel

the bulk of British popular opinion. But youdon’t want to be a back marker either. Whatpeople tell us is that they want the monarchy tobe a symbol of stability as well as somethingthat reflects the contemporary age.” Tim alsoemphasises the difference between the monarchand other public figures: “Whereas a politicianhas to be more of a chameleon, to appeal to lotsof different constituencies, The Queen is a veryclear, straightforward person. The Head of Statealso has to do things with a certain dignity; it’simportant for the solemnity of the job.”

It comes as a surprise to learn that BuckinghamPalace commissions regular opinion polls. Timreveals the results: “For the last forty years thepolls have consistently shown that there is a70% support for the monarchy. That bedrock ofpublic opinion is very solid.” Also surprising isthe ultimate destination of the thousands ofletters addressed to The Queen: “Actually, theyall go to her at the beginning of each day.They’re all there on her desk, and as the firstbusiness she simply picks out letters at random.She is at least getting a representative selection,even if she doesn’t have time to read all ofthem.”

“There is always a certain distance when you’redealing with the Head of State. The way youwork with the monarch is not the way youwould work with, for example, a minister. Thereis something slightly more formal about thisposition.” Tim describes how it feels to work forThe Queen, and what it is like to turn up forwork every day at Buckingham Palace. “I thinkof it in very much the same way I think ofChrist’s – when I spent three years at Christ’s,people used to say ‘isn’t it a fantastic place tobe living and working?’ and I would say ‘well,it’s just the college.’ Then, when you leave, youthink ‘that was an amazing place to be’. I

suspect the same will happen to me here. I takeit a bit for granted, now. But when I leave, I’llthink ‘those were remarkable years’.”

Tim Hitchens,Assistant Private Secretaryto HM The Queen (since1999). Born 7 May 1962.Studied English at Christ’sCollege 1980–83. Previouscareer with the Foreign &Commonwealth Office(currently on secondmentto Buckingham Palace).

“It’s not a career path that was planned in anyway, really. When I left Christ’s I joined theForeign Office. When The Queen visitedPakistan in 1997, I ran the official programmeand enjoyed it enormously. Then when I cameback to London I had an invitation to come toBuckingham Palace, and I was invited to take onthis job.”

As one of The Queen’s three private secretaries,Tim Hitchens plays a major, though largelyinvisible, role at the heart of national life. Thisincludes planning The Queen’s officialengagements – no easy task, given her multipleroles and the huge demand for royal visits. Timexplains the underlying thinking: “First of all,we try to get a good geographic spread. So, wemake sure that we visit Scotland, Wales andNorthern Ireland on a regular basis; and that,within England, we don’t simply concentrate onthe south-east. Most importantly, we look atthings that are interesting, like the 2002Commonwealth Games in Manchester. There arealso standard events in the year, like the StateOpening of Parliament. But beyond thosestaples, it is entirely up to The Queen how shefills the rest of her diary.”

“Instead of doing a lot of normal business basedin London, The Queen has decided to spendmost of the time travelling the country.” Timoutlines the plans for this summer’s GoldenJubilee celebrations, the switch of emphasisclearly reflecting a desire to keep the monarchyin tune with the public mood. One of the PrivateSecretary’s most important jobs is to advise TheQueen on matters of policy and, in particular,how the monarchy is perceived in the country atlarge. Tim is clear about the delicate balancingact that the Royal Family needs to perform:“You don’t want to be on the cutting edgebecause, by definition, you’re then not reflecting

“The Queen is a personof great integrity. Sheknows herself and willnot do something that isnot in her character. Soif I were to suggest thatshe had a photographtaken playing football,she would say ‘no, it’snot me’.”

“I was brought up with horses. My father was atrainer, and my brother and I were his cheaplabour at a very early age.” Training racehorses isin Ian Balding’s blood, and he is convinced thatgrowing up with horses has been an advantage: “It certainly helps, because you learn not to befrightened of them. Most people who don’t knowhorses are scared of them; and rightly so – becauseone end bites and the other end kicks. As ahorseman you know what to do about it, and howto avoid it, how to deal with the animal in everysphere of horsemanship.”

Ian has put his skills to good use in a glitteringcareer spanning nearly four decades. During thattime, he has trained for some of the world’sleading owners – including The Queen. He speaksadmiringly of her knowledge and experience:“The Queen could easily have trained horsesherself. When she used to come round the stableshere, I’d pick her out about forty horses to lookat. She’d want to see all the good ones and evensome of the bad ones to compare with her own.She was also very observant. Sometimes youwould have liked to say ‘Ma’am, I wouldn’t comeinto this box; this horse might kick you.’ But Ididn’t have to say it: she would instinctively stayout of the box. She is just a natural horsewoman.”

Millions of people follow racing, yet fewunderstand the process of training a winner. Ianexplains what is involved: “The first thing isacquiring the racehorse. Buying a yearling is avery specialised subject. What you’re looking foris an individual who looks as if he will mature

Ian Balding LVO,racehorse trainer (since1964). Born 7 November1938. Studied Rural EstateManagement at Christ’sCollege 1959–62 (rugbyblue 1961).Trained horsesfor Paul Mellon KBE; forHM Queen Elizabeth TheQueen Mother; and forHM The Queen 1964–99.

A racing certainty

“Riding a thoroughbred isa different dimension –you get such a thrill fromgoing that bit faster.”

well enough to run successfully as a two-year-old,in the next season. You’re looking for a horse thatis enthusiastic and genuine – with a nice head andnice expression. More than anything, you’relooking for an athlete. But you only see the horseswalk, so you’ve got very little to go on. Thetraining itself is a gradual process. You start as youwould with a human athlete – going slowly,gradually building up muscle and strength. Once ahorse is fit, it doesn’t take a lot to keep it fit. Weexercise our horses once, or in some cases twice, a day.”

“A large part of the trainer’s skill is picking theright race for the horse. Once you’ve picked therace, you have to try and get the horse in as goodshape as you can. That’s the bit I enjoy. The maindifficulty, of course, is that the horse can’t talk toyou and tell you how he feels, or whether he isfully fit. That is what, with years of experience,you try and gauge.” Ian’s success speaks for itself:he has been the leading trainer once and leadinginternational trainer three times, with a string offamous horses to his credit. One, in particular,stands out: “Mill Reef was by far and away thebest horse I ever had. Exactly thirty years ago hewon the Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.He is still thought of as one of the very best horsesever to have raced in this country. I’ve never had,nor would expect to have, one as good as himagain.”

Racing has undergone major changes over the lastforty years, and Ian has seen them at first hand –as trainer and before that as amateur jockey. One

change has been in the horses themselves: “Sadlythe modern thoroughbred has become much morefragile than it used to be. Even when I was firsttraining, we used to get through a whole seasonhardly hurting a two-year-old. Nowadays we’relucky if, out of forty two-year-olds, we get to theend of the season with ten of them totally sound.Whether that is because of diet or over-breeding to speed, I don’t know – but it’s a shame.”

“I’d love to win the Grand National.” Ian talks of handing over to his son quite soon, but hisambition still burns brightly: “There are very fewtrainers who have won both the Derby and theGrand National. We’ve got a horse in the yardwho just might be a National horse one day. I’d love to think he might win…”

12 Members’ page Christ’s College Cambridge

The college’s new web-site waslaunched in October with manynew features. On the inside frontcover of this magazine theMaster, Dr Alan Munro, explainshow we plan to extend theweb-site to include access to anonline directory of members.

Once it is up and running, thisdirectory will be keptautomatically up-to-date, and willenable you to search for friendsby their names, subject of study,year group, geographical area orcareer sector.We hope you willfind it useful.

Security and Data Protectionissues have been consideredcarefully in the preparation ofthis directory; we have followedthe advice of the University andthe Data Protection Registrar.If you have any queries, pleasecontact the Alumni Office.

Please take a moment tocomplete and return the formenclosed with this magazine (onthe back of the cover sheet).(Note: for those without internetaccess, a paper version of thedirectory will also be availableupon request.)

One year on, there are now 48 Year Group Representatives,busy contacting theircontemporaries to collect andcollate news for their onlinenewsletters or for publication in the newly revised CollegeMagazine.The informationcollected so far is posted on the college web-site atwww.christs.cam.ac.uk/alumni/yeargroups.shtml

We are still looking forrepresentatives from thefollowing matriculation years:1946, 1955, 1962, 1965,1967, 1969, 1978, 1984,1988, 1990, 1991, 1993If you would like to find outmore about becoming a yeargroup representative, and thebenefits of the scheme, pleasecontact the Alumni Office.

MBNA Visa CardMBNA continue to support Christ’s with acompetitive financial deal to all college memberswho open an MBNA Visa account. MBNA haveagreed to make a significant donation to theCollege for each new account opened, and theywill continue their support with a percentagedonation of all retail expenditure on Christ’saccounts. A leaflet is enclosed with details ofhow to apply.

Christ’s College Chapel Choir – new recordingAs mentioned on page 4, the Choir has issued anew recording, Music of the Tudors, featuringLamentations by Tallis and other sacred works byMundy, Parsons, Sheppard,Taverner & White. CDsare available to College members at the specialprice of £8, plus postage (£1 for UK, £2 foroverseas).To order, please send a cheque madepayable to ‘Christ’s College Choir’ to: Dr DavidRowland, Christ’s College, Cambridge CB2 3BU.

www.christs.cam.ac.uk

Year Group News

Christ’s College Cambridge Dates for your Diary 13

Wednesday 6 February 2002, 5.00 pm Lady Margaret Lecture ALL WELCOMEProfessor Lord Hunt FRS, Professor of Climate Modelling, UCL.“Scientific and political challenges of environmental change”.New Court Theatre.

Thursday 28 February 2002, 5.00 pm Lady Margaret Lecture ALL WELCOMEProfessor John Burrow FBA (1954 and Former Fellow), EmeritusProfessor of European Thought, Oxford University.“Christ’s College inthe Age of Imperialism”. New Court Theatre.

Saturday 16 March 2002, 2.30 pm Boat NamingThe new 1st Men’s VIII will be named the ‘Kieran West MBE’.Please contact the Captain of Boats for details. Fellows’ Garden.

Saturday 13 April 2002, 7.00 pm English Reunion DinnerGraduates in English are cordially invited to an informal dinner in Hall.Speakers will include Richard Whiteley,Tim Hitchens and Peggy Vance.Tickets are available from the Alumni Office.

Wednesday 1 May 2002, 5.00 pm Lady Margaret Lecture ALL WELCOMEProfessor Barrie Dobson FBA (Former Fellow), Emeritus Professor ofMedieval History, Cambridge University.“Lady Margaret Beaufort andthe Foundation of Christ’s College”. New Court Theatre.

Saturday 22 June 2002, 12.45 pmReunion Buffet Luncheon and Garden PartyFor members who matriculated in years up to and including 1945, andin 1947, 1957, 1967, 1977 and 1987. Fellows’ Garden (Hall, if wet)

Saturday 6 July 2002, 6.45 pm for 7.30 pmChrist’s College Association Annual Dinner OPEN TO ALLPlease contact the Alumni Office to apply for tickets to this annualevent. Master’s Garden (sherry) and Hall (dinner).

Sunday 14 July 2002, 2.00.pm–5.00 pmFamily Day OPEN TO ALLEntertainment for children and adults, followed by High Tea.Tickets are available from the Alumni Office; early booking is advised.Fellows’ Garden (Hall and Upper Hall, if wet).

Saturday 14 September 2002, 6.45 pm for 7.30 pm Reunion DinnerFor members who matriculated in 1952, 1962, 1972, 1982 and 1992.Fellows’ Garden (sherry) (Upper Hall, if wet) and Hall (dinner)E

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