The Cambridge Centre for Music Performance is here!

Looking for something to jazz up your weekend? Look no further: from Friday 21-Sunday 23 October, the University of Cambridge will celebrate the launch of the Centre for Music Performance with a festival of over 20 events featuring over 200 students showcasing the full breadth of Cambridge’s musical talent.

The Centre for Music Performance is opening as the University’s new hub for extracurricular music. Its aim is to help students of all subjects, backgrounds and levels of experience to make music in all its forms a core part of their time at Cambridge. The events are taking place at multiple different venues around the city and they range from orchestral and chamber music to pop and funk, so there’s something for everyone.

Best of all, most of the shows are free of charge, so there’s no reason not to get involved and enjoy some of the best music our student body has to offer.

Commenting on the launch, the Centre Director Simon Fairclough said: “We are delighted to unveil the university’s vision for the Centre for Music Performance at this weekend-long celebration of music at Cambridge. The Centre’s ambition is that all students should have the opportunity to make music part of their lives here. We are committed to taking forward the university’s tradition of excellence in classical music, and also to embracing a wider range of musical genres and creating new opportunities for those with limited prior musical experience.”

The Festival will be opened with a performance from the acclaimed Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra and Fitz Swing over at Forum Hall in Jesus College at 8pm- this will be the first-ever concert to be held in these rooms!

Fan-favourite funk band Stubborn Youth FC will round off the evening in the college’s Brewery Room bar with their trademark high energy performance style and outrageous outfits. Other highlights from the weekend’s order of events are Marta Gentilucci’s Cartographies sound installation playing all Saturday long at All Saints Church, the Korean Samulnori percussive music showcase where members of the public will also get to try their hand at the Javanese Gamelan, the Hip Hop after Dark show and open jam/cypher featuring student band Quasar over at Clare Cellars, and a special Choral Evensong service at Clare Chapel featuring music by Cambridge-related composers.

On Sunday, the Festival will end as it began- with jazz performances from the Daniel Daley Sextet and the CU Jazz Ensemble at the Portland Arms, followed by the Centre’s first-ever gig night at which three of the university’s most popular student bands, The Galapagogos, Soft Crunchy Landing and Cheap Date, will perform.

The founding of the Cambridge Centre for Music Performance is a significant acknowledgement of and investment in music as an important part of a well-rounded Cambridge education. Considering the magnitude of the Festival and variety of musical styles on display, it’s clear they are taking their motto of All for music, Music for all seriously.

To find out more about this weekend’s events and book tickets, be sure to check out the Cambridge University Centre for Music Performance’s website, www.cmp.cam.ac.uk/launch-festival, or visit their page on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Centre for Music Performance