Officers of CUMS
Links to Committee Members
- President and Vice Presidents
- Chair and Vice-Chair
- Principal Conductor
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Ensemble Conductors
- Orchestra Manager
- Chorus Manager
- Instrument Manager
- Librarian
- Publicity Secretary
- Webmaster
- Faculty of Music Representative
- Student Ensemble Representatives
- Development Committee
- Recruitment and Fund-Raising
- Co-opted Members
The President and Vice-Presidents
The President and Vice-Presidents support, advise and assist the running of the Society, but are not involved in its day-to-day administration.
President
Professor Sir Brian Pippard FRS CPhys HonFInstP
Emeritus Cavendish Professor of Physics, Former President of Clare Hall.
Vice Presidents
Mr Richard Andrewes - Head of Cambridge University Library Music Department
Professor Sir John Meurig-Thomas - Former Master of Peterhouse
Sir David Willcocks - Formerly Conductor of CUMS, Director of Music at King's College and Director of the Royal College of Music.
The CUMS Committee
Members of CUMS are encouraged to get in touch with members of the Committee with any ideas, suggestions, concerns or positive feedback they may have. Please feel free to contact any of us using the email addresses below.
Executive Officers
Simon Fairclough
CUMS Chairman
Simon studied law and music at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar. After periods with the vocal division at Hazard Chase, an artist management agency representing a roster of major international clients, and as General Manager of the Norwich-based Chamber Orchestra Anglia, Simon joined the Academy of Ancient Music as Marketing and Development Manager.
He succeeded Tim Brown as Chairman of CUMS in 2005, and is delighted to retain an active involvement in Cambridge music-making.
Contact email: Simon Fairclough (snf25@cam.ac.uk)
Jo Whitehead
CUMS Vice Chairman
Jo was born and raised in Cambridge and went to Emmanuel college where he was (briefly) in the chapel choir. After an MBA at Harvard Business School Jo has spent the last twenty years in management consulting, as a Vice President and Director of the Boston Consulting Group. He has joined the committee to assist in identifying and addressing strategic issues facing The Society. Jo is a keen member of the chorus.
Contact email: Jo Whitehead (Jo.Whitehead@ashridge.org.uk)
Stephen Cleobury
Principal Conductor
Stephen Cleobury has been Conductor of CUMS since 1983, and is a musician of international renown. Stephen is Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Music, and is a past President of the Royal College of Organists. In the course of his freelance work, he has conducted many of the leading professional orchestras in the UK and elsewhere. He follows in the distinguished footsteps of Sir Charles Stanford, Boris Ord, Sir David Willcocks and Sir Philip Ledger, but is now the longest serving Conductor in The Society's history.
Under Stephen's direction, the orchestra has recently performed such works as Verdi's Requiem, Rachmaninov's The Bells, Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique, Elgar's Violin Concerto, Mahler's Symphony no. 2, Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra, Mahler's Symphony no. 8, Berlioz' Grande Messe des Morts, Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony and Beethoven's Egmont overture. Stephen has also led the Chorus through challenging, contemporary works such as Ferguson's The Dream of the Rood, Holloway's The Spacious Firmament, Simon Smith's Still and an "Opera Gala" which was one of a number of very successful concerts recorded live for CD.
Jennifer Howells
CUMS Secretary
Contact email: Jennifer Howells (secretary@cums.org.uk)
Chris Ford
CUMS Treasurer
Chris Ford is a Reader in Quantum Electronics at the Cavendish Laboratory (Department of Physics) and Fellow of Girton College. He joined the Chorus in 1983 as a bass, eventually progressing to tenor (after a year spent working in the USA after his PhD and singing in the Taghkanic Chorale). He also sang in Pembroke Chapel Choir for about ten years.
Contact email: Chris Ford (cjbf@cam.ac.uk)
Ensemble Conductors
Mark Austin
Student Conductor & Orchestral Manager
Mark made his conducting debut aged 14. He has conducted all the major ensembles in Cambridge and founded his own group, JAMS, which attracts the best players in the university. In 2007-8 he worked as assistant conductor of CUMS I, performing Rachmaninov's 2nd Symphony to great acclaim (November 2007), and assisted Stephen Cleobury, preparing both CUMS I and the CUMS Chorus for their concerts throughout the year. He was conductor of the Cambridge University Opera Society 2008 production, Don Giovanni, described by critics as "astonishing" and "wonderfully imaginative". Mark was recently invited to work with the MDR radio choir in Leipzig, and spent last year abroad in Germany, during which time he also helped prepare several performances for the W¸rzburg ÷kumenischer Hochschulchor, and studied Chinese. He has taken part in several masterclasses, including a choral conducting course held in Uppsala, Sweden for students from all around the world, and has received coaching amongst others from Sir Charles Mackerras, Martyn Brabbins, Peter Stark, Stephen Cleobury, Harry Lyth, Howard Williams, Simon Halsey, and Howard Arman. As a violinist Mark has co-led CUCO, the university chamber orchestra, and led CU3E, the university baroque ensemble, on many occasions. As holder of a university Instrumental Award on the piano, he regularly gives solo and ensemble recitals. Mark has also composed and directed incidental music for the ADC Theatre.
Contact email: Mark Austin (ma371@cam.ac.uk)
Dan Hill
CUMS Publicity Officer & Student Conductor
Daniel began playing the violin at the age of 5 and the piano at age 8. He studied at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Margaret Norris and Penelope Stirling, respectively, alongside his education at Tiffin School in London. Daniel was leader of the Tiffin Orchestra, and co-principal of the London School's Symphony Orchestra, going on several tours and working with distinguished soloists. In 2004 he gained an Instrumental Scholarship to Cambridge, where he read Music at Emmanuel College, graduating last year.
Whilst at Cambridge Daniel has played violin in the University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, as well as giving many recitals as both a soloist and as a chamber musician with his IAS quartets. Last year he led the Opera Societies orchestra in its production of Les Mamelles de Tiresiaes. Daniel has also been President of the Emmanuel College Music Society, and the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, as well as being on the committee for the Opera Society.
At Cambridge Daniel has won the CUMS Conducting Competition two years running, working with both CUMS I and II. He has also conducted the Emmanuel College Orchestra, the Cambridge Beethoven Players and various smaller ensembles. Daniel is continuing his study on the violin with Nicholas Miller.
Contact email: Dan Hill (dnh22@cam.ac.uk)
Caroline Goulder
Chorus Manager
Sam Kemp
CUMS Instrument Manager
Contact email: Sam Kemp (instruments@cums.org.uk)
Maggie Heywood
CUMS Librarian
Dan Hill
CUMS Publicity Officer & Student Conductor
Daniel began playing the violin at the age of 5 and the piano at age 8. He studied at the Junior Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Margaret Norris and Penelope Stirling, respectively, alongside his education at Tiffin School in London. Daniel was leader of the Tiffin Orchestra, and co-principal of the London School's Symphony Orchestra, going on several tours and working with distinguished soloists. In 2004 he gained an Instrumental Scholarship to Cambridge, where he read Music at Emmanuel College, graduating last year.
Whilst at Cambridge Daniel has played violin in the University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, as well as giving many recitals as both a soloist and as a chamber musician with his IAS quartets. Last year he led the Opera Societies orchestra in its production of Les Mamelles de Tiresiaes. Daniel has also been President of the Emmanuel College Music Society, and the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra, as well as being on the committee for the Opera Society.
At Cambridge Daniel has won the CUMS Conducting Competition two years running, working with both CUMS I and II. He has also conducted the Emmanuel College Orchestra, the Cambridge Beethoven Players and various smaller ensembles. Daniel is continuing his study on the violin with Nicholas Miller.
Contact email: Dan Hill (dnh22@cam.ac.uk)
Alex Selby
CUMS Webmaster
Martin Ennis
CUMS Faculty Representative
Contact email: Martin Ennis (mwe20@cam.ac.uk)
CUMS Development Committee
Nigel Brown OBE
Sarah Chambre
David Charters
Simon Fairclough
Andy Swarbrick (Chairman)
Recruitment and fund-raising
Michael Sharp
CUMS Fund-Raising
Contact email: Michael Sharp (msharp@cambridge.org)
Claire Pike
CUMS Recruitment Co-ordinator
Co-opted Committee Members
John Barber
CUMS Co-opted Committee Member
John Barber is a Fellow and Director of Development of King's College, and Senior Lecturer in the Social and Political Sciences Faculty. Russian history and politics, music and literature feature prominently in his work and interests, and he spends as much time in St Petersburg as work permits. He sings Bass in CUMS Chorus.
Contact email: John Barber (jdb6@cam.ac.uk)