RENAISSANCES

Works from the Elisabethan and Victorian eras. Byrd - Gibbons - Tomkins - Farrant - Stanford - Stainer - Parry

The golden age of Elizabethan sacred art, along with that of the Victorians, owe much to the Reformation and the ensuing translation of texts into the vernacular English language. A "renassance" of religious fervour spread throughout England. Poets, composers and singers alike sought to embellish worship in England's majestic cathedrals, chapels and humble parish churches, with compositions bent on satisfying an increasing number of devoted and often talented choirs with an overall thirst for choral music : Farrant, Gibbons, Tomkins, Phillips, joined in today's programme by Stainer, Stamford and Parry, composers from the 19th century, perhaps lesser known to French audiences, this programme pays hommage to an ever prospering tradition of England's sacred music.

Sunday 26th May at 4pm.
Eglise St-Denys-du-Saint-Sacrement, 68bis, rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris (Metros St Sebastien-Froissart or Chemin Vert)
Entry free with a collection at the end of the concert.

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY SUBSCRIBED

The first Glory Days of Paris talk, to be held on 16th May, will be supplemented by a private guided tour of Montmartre at 14:30 on Thursday 28th May, commencing at Metro Anvers.

Shakespeare in the Shakespeare Garden, Bois de Boulogne (Pré Catalan).
The Merry Wives of Windsor by the Tower Theatre Company
Tickets are €22 per person (€12 for children under 14). This includes the play as well as strawberries and champagne at the interval.
An invitation has been sent to all members, but if you have not received it please send an email to admin@camsocparis.org.

After quite a while in one place, we have decided to move on to pastures new, so starting with the First Wednesday drinks on 5th June our event is having its own revolution...

From Wednesday 5 June, we'll be meeting at the Frog Revolution, 9 rue de Bastille (Metro Bastille, exit 7).

As well as better surroundings, friendlier management and discounted drinks, we'll be providing a few free snacks to accompany your favourite tipple.

So come along nombreux and provide the ambiance...

SAVE THE DATE
The Society's AGM will take place on Monday 17th June at 7pm at the Maison de la Vie Associative et Civique du 7eme, 4 rue Amélie, 75015 Paris (Métros Invalides or Tour Maubourg).

The AGM will be followed by a presentation by David Klemperer, one of the recipients of our Trevor Brown Bursary in 2018 and will conclude with light refreshments.

The first lecture, The Artists of Montmartre, was given on 16th May at the Musée des Arts Forains. Booking is now open for the second lecture in the series, THE PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORK, DADAISM AND SURREALISM, which will take place in Christie’s Paris auction rooms, where so much of the art to be covered in the talk goes under the hammer.

The modern world that burst upon Paris during the inter-war years was not just an artistic revolution that questioned and destroyed perceived convention, it was also the fruit of philosophy. First, the Dada movement founded in Zurich by artists such as Tristan Tzara and Hans Arp, and then Surrealism under the aegis of André Breton, drawing into its vortex artists and intellectuals including René Magritte, Man Ray, Max Ernst and Salvador Dali.

Speaker: Dr Alyce Mahon, fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, reader in Modern and Contemporary Art History. Dr Mahon specialises in the dynamic between the body and the body politic in modern art, photography and film, from Dada to Surrealism and the sixties. Author of Surrealism and the Politics of Eros, and curator of a major forthcoming exhibition at Tate Modern on Surrealist Dorothea Tanning.

Tickets are €25 per person. Invitations, including a reservation form, have been sent to Members and those registered on the Glory Days of Paris mailing list. If you have not received an invitation and would like to receive one, contact admin@camsocparis.org.

SAVE THE DATE

The Cambridge Society of Paris will welcome and congratulate students who have received a place, either as an undergraduate or graduate student, at Cambridge starting in the Michaelmas term of 2019. We will meet at the Frog Revolution, 9 rue de Bastille at 7pm.

New and current students will be our guests, while members will also be welcome at a charge of €20 per person.

Invitations will be send to members in August, but you can register your interest to attend by sending an email to Tony Banton on admin@camsocparis.org.

SAVE THE DATE
Trinity College Dublin Alumni in Paris has challenged us to a debate, which will take place on Thursday 10th October at the Irish Embassy. The motion is "This House Believes that the Best is Yet to Come." More details to follow nearer the time.

SAVE THE DATE
The artists and writers of the fabulous ‘20s and ‘30s, presented by Mary McAuliffe PhD University of Maryland, lecturer at the Smithsonian Institute

NEW DATE - PLEASE NOTE
Presentation by Professor Sir Roger Penrose. The time and venue of ths have yet to be confirmed. Full details to follow.

Please find attached the May 2019 Diary, issued by the BCC, presenting the events of the various British Associations in France which are affiliated to the BCC.

Oxford is organising the Garden Party in 2019 at the Ambassador's Residence. There will be a talk on European Identity, presented by Lord Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University and the last Governor of Hong Kong prior to its hand-back to China, and Pierre Heilbronn, Vice-President, Policy and Partnerships at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,

Tickets are €69 for members and one guest (€48 for members under 30) or €78 for additional guests and non-members.

Members should now have received an invitation with full details and a booking form to be sent to Charles Tatham of the Oxford Society. If you have not received the invitation, please contact admin@camsocparis.org to request it.

BOOKINGS HAVE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT
We are delighted to be able to announce that the very first Cambridge Cutting Edge Lecture will take place on Thursday 7th March at the Institut Pasteur. And what could be better than a Nobel Laureate, President of the Royal Society to kick things off. Venki Ramakrishnan (Trinity) will be our first honoured guest speaker and we are sure you will not want to miss his presentation on the Gene Machine: The race for the structure of the ribosome — a study in the sociology of science.

Sir Christopher Meyer will be our Guest Speaker at the Annual Dinner.
Sir Christopher Meyer was 37 years in the British Diplomatic Service, with postings to Moscow (twice) and the EU before ending up as Ambassador to Germany and then to the United States. He spent almost 6 years in Washington under the George W. Bush and Bill Clinton presidencies, the longest serving Ambassador there since the Second World War. His term of office (1997-2003) included 9/11 and the preparations for the invasion of Iraq. After retiring in 2003, he was Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission for 6 years. He has run his own consultancy, published three books, and made several documentaries for television and radio, notably the 6-part Networks of Power for Sky Atlantic in 2012. He is now a member of the advisory boards of Pagefield Communications and British-American Business; a director of the Arbuthnot Banking Group; and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and of the Royal United Services Institute. He is a regular media commentator on international affairs and is writing a novel. He is married to the Baroness Meyer CBE of Nine Elms, the founder of Action Against Abduction. They have four sons between them.
We will again meet at the Maison de Polytechniciens, 12 rue de Poitiers, 75007 Paris with apperitifs being served at 7:30pm. The price is €65 per ticket for members and one guest, €40 for members under 30. Extra guests are €75 each and non-members may also apply for tickets at €75. A full invitation has been sent to all members, but you can also obtain it from admin@camsocparis.org..

BOOKINGS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT

The Ambassador has again opened his Residence to us for the Garden Party on Thursday 31st May. In addition to the traditional champagne and canapés, entertainment will be provided by the Fingask Folies, in their first performance outside the UK. Full details have been sent to members, but if you would like more information contact admin@camsocparis.org.

Our guests will be Professor Robert (St. John’s) and Dr Isabelle (Trinity) Tombs. Robert Tombs is Emeritus Professor of French History and a Fellow of St John's. He is a specialist in 19th century French history, having written, among other things, France 1814-1914 (1996) and Paris, bivouac des revolutions (2014). In recent years, he has worked on Franco-British relations, writing That Sweet Enemy (2007) with Isabelle, and co-editing Cross-Channel Currents (2004) and Britain and France in Two World Wars: Truth, Myth and Memory (2013). His most recent book has been in a different field, The English and Their History (2014). We will again meet at the Maison des Polytechniciens for this “black tie” event. Details and a registration form will be sent to members early in December.

WFrom hedonism to asceticism. From the fabulous Cambridge Christmas Party to the first event of 2018, The Cambridge Union Challenge Debate. And what an event it was, long to be recorded in the annals of the Cambridge Society of Paris and the Grimoire of the Cambridge Union.
To whatever exotic locations the Union may travel in the future, Paris, and the debate against the Cambridge Society of Paris, will rest forever the first occasion, in its 160-year history, on which the Cambridge Union debated outside the UK.
When I threw down the gauntlet and challenged the Union to a debate on our home territory, here in Paris, the response from the Union was immediate, enthusiastic, and positive. Very impressive.
The Union team was headed by Jonah Surkes, their president, supported by Tom McArthur, Vice President, plus Penelope Jones and Jali Packer their chosen speakers.
The event was held on Saturday 27th January 2018 in the exotic salon of the Hôtel Païva (of silver bath fame) at 25 Avenue des Champs Elysées, debating the motion “This house believes that we shall have a post human economy run by robots with artificial intelligence within twenty years.”
In support of the motion, the Cambridge Society of Paris, through Edward Archer and myself, plus our guest speaker, writer, journalist and futurologist, Calum Chace. Against the motion the Cambridge Union, through Jali and Penny and their guest speaker, computer programmer, founder of Snips and, elected as a TR35 by the MIT Technology Review and as a "30 under 30" by Forbes, Rand Hindi.
Suffice to say that .. we lost! Maybe, with a slight adjustment of the wording. Maybe with a closer adherence to the core topic, the result .. well “he would say that wouldn’t he!” Well done the Cambridge Union.
In twenty years or perhaps fifty years’ time, we will know the answer. Meanwhile, the debate was an outstanding success. A benchmark in the history of CamSoc and the Union.

Extracts can be seen by visition the Society's YouTube channel on:
https://youtu.be/9stkBge2gBI

To relive the the wonderful, fun Christmas Party, visit YouTube on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUXXsoNPNVk

Here is some of the feedback from those who were there.
- It was a dream come true
-bA glorious triumph
- So well organised, the music sensational, and the dancing lovely to watch
- Tous les musiciens que j’ai revus après ont été enchantés
- I amazed myself by doing a mini charleston .. which I have not done for decades
- Last night was like flying through a time machine! WONDERFUL !!!!
- What a triumph. Certainly the best party I have been to since I arrived in Paris
- Fantastic setting and a great bunch of people
- Dazzled by the ambiance and excitement of the evening
- So much enjoyed by all, and beyond all our dreams

Well, certainly, with an attendance approaching 400, including 35 musicians. With the tap dancer, magician, light shows and opera singing automatons. With the wonderful costumes and stunning dancing, it was undoubtedly an exceptional occasion and a terrific Cambridge send-off to the year.

The University visited Paris on Saturday 25th November, at La Maison de La Chimie. 220 Alumni, mostly from France but also from our neighbouring countries, heard Pro vice-Chancellor Professor Eilís Ferran provide an update on developments at the University, followed by Professor Dame Athene Donald (Professor of Experimental Physics and Master of Churchill Collegeand Professor Tim Lewens (Professor of Philosophy of Science) who debated how ethics could or should apply to scientific research. The meeting closed with a brief introdution of the Cambridge Society of Paris to the assembled alumni.

After the more formal presentations, there was an opportunity to mix over cocktails, and much catching up was done.

The event was a great success, both for the University in gathering so many Alumni but also for CamSoc Paris as we were able to attract several of those present with our upcoming events and we hope we will gain quite a few new members over the coming weeks.

Another successful Cambridge Society event, the debate at the 5e Cru wine bar at 7 rue Cardinal Lemoine.

Supported by a young and enthusiastic group of CamSoc and OUSP members and their guests, following a most excellent and convivial dinner, the group debated the motion “This House believes that the Technological Revolution has brought more Good than Evil to our communities.”

The motion was proposed by Christopher Chantrey and opposed by Andrew Torrance, supported respectively by Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs and Clare Hohler.

Lively comment from the floor prior to the summare by the two lead speakers and the vote, counted by Moez Draief: 15/15.

19 new students, a mix of first time undergraduates and graduates aiming for Masters or Doctorates, and 13 members attended the Welcome Wine Tasting on 19th September. We were particularly fortunate that 9 members are also current students, including Lydia Bunt who was using her Student Travel Award wisely to visit us and so fulfil her remit of promoting contacts between current students and Alumni groups. The Oxford contingent was of a similar size.
Our thanks go to Paul Tracy for his excellent guidance and explanations on wines made from unusual grapes, featuring Chile, Portugal, South Africa, Portugal, Italy and Crete.
Many were reluctant to leave when the event closed, but great contacts were made so that friendships will hopefully have been started, to be continued when the Michaelmas term begins.

The annual Garden Party was held on Wednesday 7th June, at the British Ambassador's Residence. The theme was Museums, with enlightening presentations from Sir Mark Jones FSA FSRE and Thomas Grenon. Sir Mark was Master of St Cross College Oxford until September 2016 and prior to that he was Director of the V&A Museum. Thomas Grenon is Director of the Laboratoire Nationale de Métrologie et d'Essais (LNE). 160 Cambridge and Oxford Alumni and their guests were joined by 40 alumni from the Association de l’Ecole du Louvre, making it the highest attendance ever recorded at one of our Garden Parties.

After the presentations, we all enjoyed cocktails including champagne and Pims on the Residence lawns, ably served as usual by the Embassy's staff.

The Society's Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday 17th May at the Maison des Associations du VIIe. 20 members voted unanimously to allocate the 2016 surplus to the Trevor Brown Bursary Fund.

The following new committee members were elected, also unanimously:
Ian Cooper
Philippa Ladbury
Andrew Lyndon Skeggs
The next committee meeting, to be held on 29th May, will elect a new President and Secretary.

The meeting was followed by a most interesting and entertaining presentation by Professor John Parker (Clare Hall) on the benefits of a Cambridge education, illustrated by the influences on Charles Darwin. As a student, he scraped through his ordinary degree having spent much of his time collecting beetles, riding horses and generally spending plenty of money on wine in the Christ's Buttery. However, he did not waste his time completely and became the man always seen in the company of John Henslow, a brilliant professor in Botany whose research can be seen in 7 of the 13 chapters of the Origin of Species. John Henslow found the position on the Beagle for Darwin and throughout the voyage published Darwin's reports sent back to him so meaning that when Darwin returned to England in 1836 he had become a respected and eminent scientist despite his relatively mediocre academic record before he left.

If any of you get the chance to listen to Prof. Parker, I strongly recommend it.

Tony Banton
Outgoing President

61 Members and guests attended the 2017 Annual Dinner at the Maison de Polytechniciens. Good company, plenty of animated converstations and above all a thought provoking presentation of some of the differences between the construction of English and French from Sir Michael Edwards. We can now recognise the impact of the dominance of consonents in English against the more lyrical and vowel fuelled French rhythm. Yes it was not always so as old French (listen to the Canadian accent) had far more consonent sounds. Questions fused after the presentation and the evening closed at midnight with all being replete and, I think, content.

Once again a full house for the annual Carol singing at the Travellers'. Thanks to the musicians for providing the accompaniment and for the Choir's initiative of introducing each half of the singing with a piece taken from their concert of the previous Sunday.

Thanks again to Edward Archer for his A-Z organisation and we all look forward to next year's event.

180 attended this year's Garden Party, an even balance from the three participating universities although Les Anciens de l'X were the most numerous by a short head. Given the weather this year, we were fortunate not to have even a shower and the proximity of the Fan Zone for Euro 2016 was not noticable from within the Ecole Militaire.

We were well attended to by the caterers, with champagne flowing freely and plenty to nibble at but the high spots were our two interesting - and entertaining - speakers. Dr Nicolas Bell explained why William Ireland forged Shakespeare documents and even wrote a new play, basically to please his father. President of the Republic Valéry Giscard d'Estaing gave his very own, extremely eloquant, view on Brexit.

The evening was one of those that show why is it worth being a member of the Cambridge Society as it was definitely out of the ordinary and I am sure everyone who came was glad they did.

The Society’s AGM was held on Tuesday 31st May. New committee members Natasha McNamara and Moez Draief and Duncan Low were elected, and the terms of Rosarita Cuccoli, Nathalie Gasperini and Peter Salinson were renewed.

After the formal meeting, we had an excellent and most interesting presentation by Dr Jean Khalfa, Fellow of Trinity College and a Senior Lecturer in French, on “French artists’ books in the 20th century: Trinity College’s extraordinary collection”. If you are in Cambridge it will definitely be worth a trip to the Wren Library to see the amazing works "in the flesh".

The 20th Anniversary of the Society was celebrated in style on Friday 29th April at the Maison des Associations.

80 members and their guests welcomed Dr Rowan Williams and who gave us a captivating talk to explain that University education should above all develop critical citizens, which means that teaching excellence and the highest quality of research must be combined, but also mixed with the Collegiate experience. Health and happiness are directly corellated with academic success. Dr Williams explained that this is the context for the University having challenged several of the principles set out in the recent Government Green Paper on Education as measuring a University's success based on salary levels several years after graduation is missing the point. An enlightening and interesting presentation, much appreciated by those at the Dinner and followed by some pertinent comments and questions from the floor.

We all thank the Master and Lady Jane for having travelled to Paris to share the evening with us.

Under pleasant October sunshine 18 of us were offered a tour of Roman and medieval Paris by our Camsoc expert George Young, a veteran of this area of Paris 5eme.
We enjoyed a fascinating discovery circuit, starting at les Arènes de Lutèce, the celebrated Roman sporting arena and theatre holding up to 10000 spectators, behind Rue Monge. 3 hours later We ended at The Roman Baths near Bvd St Germain having stopped at vestiges of the medieval walls protecting Paris, the remains of the numerous medieval colleges and churches of the Latin Quarter and a number of alleys and signs still to be seen by those who know. George’s researches helped us grasp the evolution of the original Roman settlement through the Medieval, Revolutionary , Napoleonic and Haussman eras, all marking Paris history and development..

30 attended the Dinner-Debate held at the Victory Restaurant just off the Champs Elysées on 25 December. Equal representation from Cambridge and Oxford both in attendees and speaker with a Cambridge pair proposing the motion "This house believes the EU will play a greatly diminishing role on the World stage for the rest of this century", Oxford opposing. Andrew Lyndon-Skeggs valiantly presented his seven reasons why the EU was doomed to decline, with Daniel Weiss providing the other view. Ably seconded with suitable statistics by Michael Webster for the motion and Peter Huggins against. With about 10 comments coming from the floor supporting both sides the motion came up to vote, the debate ended with a resounding vote in favour or the motion. So it is now official, the EU is in decline! More seriously the evening was enjoyed by all, the Victory did us proud with good choices for our food and they also added an unexpected kir on arrival. The next debate is will be in the spring and suggestions for the motion will be gratefully received.
Our great thanks goes to Michael Webster for organising the event from start to finish. We are all looking forward to his next event! Tony Banton - President

October’s special dinner talk for the Cambridge Society of Paris at Les Noces de Jeannette restaurant attracted 30 people who dined well and had an opportunity to hear best-selling historian Andrew Roberts give a very fluent account as entertaining as it was informative of main currents in Napoleon’s career. We were lucky that he had come to Paris for a colloquium at the Embassy and was free the evening before that event. He fielded very good questions from our members but reluctantly had to leave for drinks with Sir Peter Ricketts some time after 10:00 p.m. Roberts stressed Napoleon’s energy, multi-faceted genius, and, despite silly nepotism, his general use of meritocracy. Nevertheless, our historian was pleased that Napoleon had failed to invade and occupy the British Isles. He signed his massive and handsome book for those who had brought their copies with them. The evening was a delight for our stomachs and our brains! Andrew Parkin.

One crescendo (yes !) of this year’s 26-28 September Cambridge alumni weekend was the Friday night performance in King’s College Chapel of Mozart’s Requiem. Unusually, about 200 visiting alumni delegates had chosen to volunteer to sing the chorale. Tony Banton our new President was amongst them. They had assembled in the afternoon of Friday for a first rehearsal, followed by a 8pm full rehearsal with the solo singers and orchestra from East Anglia Chamber Orchestra.
Late Friday evening over 300 delegates filled the anti-chamber of the Chapel for what had to be a remarkable performance given the resonance of the solo singers and orchestra, the surroundings and the impressive ‘ad hoc’ choristers who had only one full afternoon’s rehearsal.
We discovered that Tony was not alone as a Cambridge singer from Paris since we got chatting to a French lady soprano (Selwyn) who lives in Paris and might join us for our December 9th Carol Singing in the Travellers. See photos in the Gallery.

Our traditional WELCOME PARTY in the form of a wine tasting was very well attended by students going up to Cambridge from the Paris area. See attached article and photos in the gallery.

On the beautifully sunny late summer evening of 10th September, eight members each from the Oxford and Cambridge Societies of Paris met at the Boulodrome of the "Pétanque Neuilly sur Seine" club to do battle for the Presidents' Cup. This was the second year we have used this location, which can be found on the island under the Pont de Neuilly bridge. It is a fabulous location with the Seine running by and an uninterrupted view of the La Défense skyscrapers across the water.
It was also something of a special occasion, since the club president, Patrice Drevet (ex TV weatherman - who had actually laid on the sunny weather for us), was getting married that Saturday to Corinne Chatelain, who organised our refreshments and dinner.
We played two rounds of 4 pairs v 4 pairs, with the first pair to 13 points winning. Unfortunately, I can only say that Cambridge received a thorough thrashing in both rounds. Not even our tactic of plying Oxford with as much wine as possible during the delicious paella dinner we enjoyed between rounds seemed to help. In fact they only played better!
So this year the Presidents' cup goes to Oxford. For next year, we could benefit from more young, fit Cambridge members, who can maybe turn things around. It is a wonderfully relaxed, convivial evening, so do remember to sign up next year and help us regain the cup! Edward Archer
photo link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vb572sqipaunrk3/AAAnzh5h00x38HJ96rK4wn8ma?dl=0

On a glorious June evening, at the kind invitation of Sir Peter and Lady Ricketts, the Cambridge and Oxford Societies held an exciting and innovative Garden Party in the Residence of the British Embassy. The Cambridge Society had also invited Alumni of H.E.C. and some members of the Harvard Club, resident in Paris, who filled in where H.E.C. failed to participate.

Cambridge has always been proud of its musical talent, and we asked Beate Perrey, a former Music Fellow of Christ’s and Trinity, now a professional pianist and also a member of our Committee, to play at the short concert opening the party. She gave a wonderful performance of little known works of Mozart, with 4 members of the Orchestre de Paris. After this everybody went out into the beautiful gardens for champagne and canapés to the amazing music of Yves Riquet’s Paris Boogie Speakeasy, who entertained us brilliantly with jazz from the 1920s and 30s till dusk sent everyone home. It was indeed a memorable evening, greatly enjoyed by all. Photos by Andrew Lyndon Skeggs - see more in the Gallery.

With a full team of four and cues in hand, the CamSoc Cuers waited in trepidation in the NEW BILLARD CLUB at Kremlin Bicetre for the holders of the Challenge Cup to arrive on the green baize of battle … but the army was not to be seen. Yet one messenger was sighted weaving between the myriad of tables in the billiard hall to explain that the OUSP champion was indisposed and hence his army, without leadership, were not fit for battle. A no-show was declared and interpreted as a victory for CamSoc but being a generous bunch, the messenger was integrated into a game of revolving players and shared the liquid refreshment that by tradition accompanies the game at our level. The evening ended with a feast at the local trattoria and the return home of the Victors; Peter, Neil, Tony and Bob.

The Cambridge Society held a debate at the Victory restaurant on the motion “The U.N. forecast that the world’s population will reach 10 billion by 2050 represents a serious threat to the well-being of humanity"
The speakers were Michael Webster and Bob Bell, seconded by Christopher Segar and Richard Sheard. The discussion following the talks was animated and ultimately the motion was passed by 8 votes to 7, a satisfactorily close call that reflects the quality of the debate.
This was followed by a very pleasant dinner, promptly served, and guests left by 10.30.
The general feeling was that the event had been a successful revival, in spite of the reluctance of members to sign up in good time, and those present agreed enthusiastically that we should hold another before too long, which more members might sign up to and enjoy.

Some 90 guests enjoyed the annual dinner which was once again held in the prestigious Maison des Polytechniciens. We were honoured to have Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University as the after dinner speaker. 345th Vice Chancellor and half way through his seven year term Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, spoke about and conveyed great enthusiasm for his role and the University objectives to continue as a centre of academic excellence and achievement. See full report attached and photos in the Gallery.