Celebrating Charles Villiers Stanford

To mark the centenary of the death of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (Queens' Organ Scholar 1870), a day of events was held in College on Sunday 21st of April.

Martin Baker, Honorary Fellow of Downing College and former President of the Royal College of Organists, gave an organ recital including an improvisation and pieces by Stanford, Tournemire and Schmidt.

A display of archival material from Stanford's time at Queens' was available for members of the College and the general public to visit throughout the day. Some of the artefacts on display included a score of 'Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in F (The Queens' Service)' that Stanford is believed to have composed while in Cambridge, and the Queens' College Choral Society account book from 1863-1878. This was in addition to the current special exhibition, Reading for a Perfect Society: The Renaissance Library of Sir Thomas Smith (1513-77).

The 'Come and Sing' Evensong was attended by over 30 alumni who sang in the choir, ranging in matriculation years from 1963 to 2022. The sermon was preached by Professor Jeremy Dibble, a musicologist and leading expert on the life and works of Stanford.

For more information about upcoming events in Queens' Chapel this term, see the document below.