Alumni E-News: Michaelmas 2024

Dear Reader

I am delighted to introduce myself to you all at the start of my tenure as Master. I join St Edmund’s as the 16^th Master, having been Head of the School of Arts and Humanities for the past five years, and a Fellow at Pembroke College since 1995.

St Edmund’s is a truly special place. All its members – students, Fellows, alumni and staff – have helped to shape the College into the unique and distinguished community that I am now privileged to lead.

I would also like to pay warm tribute to the work of my predecessor, Catherine Arnold, who has written to you all. I know she is very grateful for the expressions of thanks and well-wishes for the future that many of you have written in response.

I hope to meet as many of you as possible, whether in Cambridge, London, or on my travels further afield. There are several events coming up this term, and more planned for next year, and I hope you will be able to join me at one of those.

Until then, if you have any questions please do get in touch with the College; the Development Office would be happy to hear from you at development@st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk

Yours sincerely,

Chris

Professor Chris Young

Master

St Edmund’s College

We’re proud to present two stories of St Edmund’s students on stage, taking their widely acclaimed shows on tour: one to the ever-popular Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the others across the East Coast of the USA as part of CAST, the Cambridge American Stage Tour!

Eddie’s student Greg Worden (m. 2023) was part of the cast of Squires, an historical workplace comedy turned comedy of errors, as a group of unlikely friends come together under a common goal: to not be accused of murder.

Squires looks at pressing issues like ‘how crappy is a first job exactly’ and ‘can you speedrun inventing the concept of gravity in a single afternoon’. The answer to both is ‘yes’. Holy Grail meets Twelfth Night in a story of pigs, bisexual panic, bricks and accusations of heresy.

Running from 2-24 August at theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall Theatre 1, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Squires was lauded with praise and reviews: 4 stars from EdFringe Review.

Congratulations to Ed and the whole cast and crew: we can’t wait to see what you do next!

(photo @squiresplay on Instagram)

St Edmund’s alumnae Imogen Gray (m. 2021) and Gwynn Horbury (m. 2021) took their wildly successful production of Julius Caeser from Trinity Chapel to the University Arms to 7 different venues across Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

CAST also engages with schools and educational venues producing workshops engaging with Shakespeare and their production. Imogen, the Director, was excited for this production to “engage audiences in a dialogue about leadership, democracy, and the consequences of political machinations.”

The St Edmund’s College Alumni Society was pleased to be able to contribute to the tour in order to support our members to participate.

There are a few more chances for you to see Julius Caeser performed by the CAST team as they return to Cambridge: book tickets here!

At the start of Michaelmas Term 2024, the Admissions Office organised its first-ever Bridging Programme.

The Bridging Programme is a chance for students to learn about the College, meet fellow students, student ambassadors, Directors of Studies and navigate their way around Cambridge for the first time.

New students also had the chance to attend wellbeing talks, learn more about academic writing and time-management, and where to find their departments or faculties.

What do you remember about your arrival at St Edmund’s and your first few weeks of University life? What advice would you give to a student just about to embark on their St Edmund’s journey? Let us know!

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Gemma Burgess, Vice-Master of St Edmund’s College, as Director of the Isaac Newton Trust.

Gemma took up her role on 1October 2024 on the retirement of the former Director, Dr Laurie Friday. Gemma is currently Director of the Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research in the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge.

More details about the appointment can be found on the Isaac Newton Trust website.

Join us at the Oxford & Cambridge Club on Tuesday, 12 November 2024, for our Annual London Dinner.

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet our new Master, Professor Chris Young, who will share insights about his research and his current exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Paris 1924: Sport, Art and the Body.

Enjoy a three-course fine dining experience while connecting with fellow Eddies Alumni in the elegant setting of the O&C Club.

Tickets are £85 for members and guests. Spaces are limited, so please register early!

For more details, visit our website here. We look forward to seeing you on the night!

Thank you to everybody who joined us for the Alumni Society AGM, Concert & Dinner on Saturday 28 September. We hope you had a wonderful time reconnecting with your fellow Alumni, and enjoyed the musical talents of Dr Pierre Riley whose performance was so astounding it threw the lights in the Chapel in to disarray.

If you took photos at the event that you would like to share, please send them here: development@st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk