St Hilda's College
Music student Oliver Simpson (Music, 2023) has been announced as the winner of this year’s prestigious Oxford and Cambridge Club Music Prize.
The annual prize is awarded to an Oxford or Cambridge University student who is approaching the end of their studies and who has exhibited outstanding musical talent. Oliver performed music by Cassadó, Gluck, and Tchaikovsky to a competition jury, and following a unanimous vote, he won the prize, granting him free membership for the year and credit to spend in the club.
Last summer, Oliver flew to the United States, performing as soloist on a recital tour of the East Coast, as well as a tour to Cyprus with Maxim Vengerov where he played for the President and First Lady of Cyprus for Independence Day, televised on Cypriot National Television. Whilst in the United States, he was also invited as a special guest to the Smithsonian in Washington DC, where he granted the privilege of performing on two Stradivari, an Amati, and several other fine cellos.
Whilst on these tours, Oliver performed on a 1682 Andrea Guarneri cello, having been selected as a Beare’s International Violin Society Artist. St Hilda’s College was proud to support Oliver by funding the cello’s flights to and from the US.
Oliver will also be welcomed to the JdP stage for a lunchtime recital on Thursday 18th June at 1.15pm. Come and hear this fantastic programme of Cassadó, Gluck, Franck, and Tchaikovsky played on a stunning Cremonese 1682 Andrea Guarneri cello.
You can find out more about the concert on the JdP events page.