Chapel Contacts

DEAN OF CHAPEL: The Revd James Buxton Tel: (01223) 338002 email: jb225@cam.ac.uk

As Dean of Chapel, I have two roles – as a pastoral presence available to all within the College, and as the person responsible for the life of our beautiful College Chapel. Helping me is a brilliant team  who enable Chapel services and events to happen. We’d be delighted to have your help and participation at whatever level you like. If you’d like to get involved, do speak to me or one of the following people. We’d also be delighted if you could like the Corpus Christi College Chapel Facebook page, to be informed about upcoming special events in Chapel.  Do drop me a line, give me a call or arrange to pop in to see me if you’d like to know more about chapel services or events, or if there is anything you’d like to discuss.

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC: Robin Walker rw579@cam.ac.uk

As Director of Music, my role is largely centred on the running of the College Choir, working with the Dean of Chapel and the two Organ Scholars to ensure that we provide high-quality, inspirational and appropriate music for the various services in the chapel. I would be very interested in hearing from anyone interested in joining our friendly and welcoming choir, or in College music more widely.

CHAPEL CLERK: Lucas Greenslade lkg29@cam.ac.uk

I’m Lucas, one of the Chapel Clerks. We are involved in the organisation of the Chapel, making sure that things go more or less as planned, and helping our volunteers to play their part and to know what to do. As a Law student, I find the Chapel to be a really useful touchstone to keep me grounded and functioning when the pressure starts to build; it’s an incredibly welcoming and supportive community, regardless of your religious tradition or background. There’s a wonderful social side to the Chapel community, and the bigger events each term really do feel inseparable from College life. It’s a real privilege to be able to know our wonderful volunteers and talented choir, and it’s a lot of fun to be a part of something as unique as the Corpus Chapel. Don’t be shy about sending me an email, any time.

CHAPEL CLERK: Alice Millington am2389@cam.ac.uk

I’m Alice, a second year Geography student, and a Chapel Clerk at Corpus. Together, Lucas and I work alongside James (Dean of Chapel), and the rest of the fab chapel team, to help the Chapel run smoothly, both on a day-to-day level and during big college and Chapel events. For me, this involves maintaining a presence at the Chapel services, organising and assisting the other volunteers, and generally helping out with Chapel activities. The Corpus Chapel is actually a super fun place to be – it doesn’t matter what your outlook, or tradition is (for example, I’m Catholic, even though the Chapel is Anglican) – we welcome everyone.  Being part of the Chapel team has been my favourite aspect of Corpus life: whether it’s making friends with Corpus undergrads and postgrads, liaising with members of the public, having absolute BANTER at James’ ABBA and punch parties, or listening to the beautiful songs that the choir sing at Evensong. Drop me an email if you’d like to know more.

SENIOR ORGAN SCHOLAR Catherine Olver cso28@cam.ac.uk

Hi! I’m Catherine. It is my duty to assist the Director of Music in tasks such as choir recruitment, compiling music lists and of course in accompanying/conducting the choir alongside the junior organ scholar. The choir sings three services a week, boasting a wide range of repertoire, and we are also fortunate to experience an international tour every summer. We are currently recruiting for all voice parts so if you are at all interested, whether or not you have any previous choral experience, please feel free to come and speak to me at any time. There will also be an opportunity to sign up for an informal audition at the Corpus societies fair at the beginning of Michaelmas Term (2016).

JUNIOR ORGAN SCHOLAR: Jack Hodkinson  jrh206@cam.ac.uk

As junior organ scholar, it is my role to assist Catherine and Robin in the music making of the college. I take on this role from a slightly odd background: last year I sang in the choir as a choral scholar, and despite always having been passionate about church music (I admin the Facebook page ‘English Church Music’) and having played the piano and organ from a young age, I am currently taking my second year of a Mathematics degree.

CHOIR MEMBER AND CHOIR LIBRARIAN Esther Brassett  ejb200@cam.ac.uk

I have absolutely loved being part of Corpus Chapel Choir throughout my first year. While three services a week may seem like a lot at first, it’s actually really great to be able to sing a wide variety of music so regularly with such a wonderful group of people. As a Christian myself, I enjoy being able to worship in a service that is quite different from what I am used to. If I’m honest, the free formals every Sunday are also a massive bonus. Highlights of the year include singing the Messiah with a professional chamber orchestra, as well as a lovely tour to France which concluded with a short informal concert in Notre-Dame Cathedral itself!

CHAPEL CHOIR MEMBER: Maddie Parkin  mep44@cam.ac.uk

Auditioning for the choir was one of the best deicisons I made when I started at Corpus. We sing three services a week exploring a wide range of music from ancient Plainsong to exciting modern pieces! it’s wonderful to know that you are contributuing to the spiritual life of the college. We also get the treats of Sunday breakfast, free formal on a Sunday evening and the Dean of Chapel’s suppers and late parties.

ORDINAND Ayla Lepine  arl37@cam.ac.uk

I’m Ayla, an Ordinand training for the Anglican priesthood at Westcott House in Cambridge. I assist the Dean and work closely with the Chapel Clerks, participating fully in the worship and life of the Chapel community. The Chapel is a place of peace and spiritual nourishment for people of all faiths and none at the heart of the college, and it’s a pleasure to support its work by preaching, serving, and praying, as well as welcoming everyone to Chapel events including talks, films, trips, and theological discussion. I’m always happy to be in touch regarding Chapel life.

CHAPEL WARDEN: Kev Wong kw433@cam.ac.uk

Hey, I’m Kev, and I’m a warden at our chapel. I’m not particularly religious, but I’ve found that chapel allows me to quietly reflect after a busy day in the library, and volunteering is a great way of getting to know people at Corpus. As wardens, our job is to prepare the chapel before a service, hand out hymn books, bow a lot, and light candles (thus suffering horrendous wax burns on our hands and horrendous wax stains on our gowns). The chapel team is welcoming to all and playing a direct role in Corpus life has been an enlightening experience.

POSTGRADUATE REP: Christoph Pretzer cjp76@cam.ac.uk

Hi all! My name is Christoph, I am a 3rd year PhD-candidate and as Postgraduate representative my role is to link the MCR with the chapel and to be availbale for both under- and postgraduates who want to connect with each other in the chapel environment. The chapel is a wonderful place for undergrads and postgrads to meet and to mingle. The shared service connects them at the heart of the college experience at Corpus. So if you are a postgraduate and have any question about our chapel life whatsoever do not hesitate to get in touch with me.  Editor’s PS: Christoph just got married in the College Chapel (August 8 2016).  Congratulations to him and Bernadette!!