During a speech in 1957, Prime Minister Harold MacMillan declared “our people have never had it so good”. Now, more than half a century later, are we fundamentally any better off? Through discussion of technological advances, social changes, political reforms, and economic shocks and recessions, this panel will seek to question whether the world we currently live in is indeed a better place than it was in the 1950s.

Chaired by Professor Brian Nolan, Professor of Social Policy, the panel will consist of:

*Dr Max Roser, James Martin Fellow at The Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School
*Dr Anders Sandberg, James Martin Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute
*Professor Robert Walker, Professor of Social Policy

A drinks reception will follow, all welcome.

St Catherine’s College student Daniel Shao (2013, Music) has organised a music concert in aid of the Oxford branch of Crisis (the national charity for single homeless people). The concert will showcase a wealth of musical talent, and St Catz alumni will perform alongside current students.

St Catz alumni performing include Philip Gault (1997, Music) who is a Baritone at Scottish Opera, Catherine Groom (2004, Music) a recorder player, early harpist and mezzo-soprano, and artist and composer Tom Phillips CBE RA (1957, English).

St Catz student performers and composers include violinist Makoto Nakata (2012, Music) the winner of the 2013 Oxford Philomusica Concerto Competition, flautist Daniel Shao (2013, Music) a 2014 BBC Young Musician of the year Wind Finalist, composer and pianist Joshua Hagley (2013, Music) the winner of the Royal Opera House Fanfare Competition, Tomos Nicholls (2012, Music) a former National Youth Orchestra GB Composer, and James Orrell (2014, Music) the current New Chamber Opera/Catz Répétiteur Scholar.

Tickets £5/10 available on the door or online.

As former European Commissioner for Climate Action and as host Minister of the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Connie Hedegaard has been at the sharp end of global agreements. While the Copenhagen talks ended with a breakthrough recognition of the scientific case for restraining temperature rises to no more than 2°C, the accord failed to achieve commitments to reducing emissions. The outcome frustrated many and Hedegaard has subsequently described the eight-draft, 115-country process as a ‘nightmare’. Hedegaard refused to give up.

Two years later in Durban, she made a stand against fierce opposition to push through a timetable for new negotiations, this time designed to create a global pact on emissions reductions. The 2015 UNFCCC in Paris is the culmination of that timetable and the global pact, if it is achieved, will come into force in 2020. Presiding over the European 2030 Climate and Energy Framework, which commits to a 40% reduction in emissions, Hedegaard said: “We have sent a strong signal to the rest of the world. We have now done our homework and now it’s up to other big economies to do theirs”.

New College Chapel presents Paradise Lost: a staged reading of Milton’s epic poem in 3 parts, directed by Professor Elisabeth Dutton (Fribourg), featuring new settings of Milton’s hymns by the Organist, Robert Quinney, and anthems by Byrd, Weelkes and Purcell. There will be a pre-performance talk by Dr Will Poole on Friday 22nd May, 7.15, in the Conduit Room.

Wed 20 May: Books 1-4, The Parliament in Hell
Thurs 21 May: Books 5-8, The War in Heaven
Fri 22 May: Books 9-12, The Fall
Each part can be viewed individually.

Tickets on the door: £10/£5 students; £25/10 for all 3 nights. All proceeds will go to Sight Savers, who work to treat and prevent blindness in the developing world.

As part of this year’s community outreach program, Oxford Brookes University’s 150th anniversary, and as a way showing our appreciation to all participants, clinicians, researchers, members of the public and organisations that have supported our work, we will be holding an open day on Saturday, 30th of May 2015. Over the past decade, the Movement Science Group, which now falls within the Centre for Rehabilitation at Oxford Brookes University, has conducted extensive research on a variety of topics related to rehabilitation and physical activity. Topics include measuring and understanding movement in those with movement difficulties, exercising benefits in people with neurological conditions, and developing novel rehabilitation strategies.

Enter a lost world of music and poetry as more than 300 years of Mughal rule approached its end at the hands of the British in 1857. William Dalrymple, award-winning historian, in performance with the celebrated North Indian vocalist Vidya Shah, takes us back to the bygone era of matchless splendour, bringing to life a world of emperors, courtesans, politics, bayonets, intrigue and love, through words and music. Doors open at 17.45. Food and drinks in the Pitt Rivers Museum till 9p.m. after the lecture. Signed copies of ‘The Last Mughul’ and ‘Return of the King’ available after the lecture.

So many of us are desperately busy doing what’s immediately in front of us rather than the things that make a real difference.

Ben will tell the story of the GB men’s rowing 8+ in the build up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where they won the gold medal, and how they challenged everything to make the boat go faster. For Ben it was the culmination of nine years in the national team.

Ben’s story is a call to action, challenging you to examine how you spend your time in a way that ensures you are travelling in the direction that you want to go.

About the Speaker
Ben Hunt-David MBE
BEN HUNT-DAVIS MBE

Former Brookes student, Ben Hunt- Davis is a performance coach, speaker and author. Ben has been involved in five Olympic Games – three as a competitor and two as a member of the headquarters team. He was also Chairman of the Organising Committee for both the 2011 World Rowing Junior Championships and the 2013 Rowing World Cup. He now runs a performance consulting company helping companies to make their ‘boats go faster’. His first book is entitled Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?

Twenty minute talk, Q&As, and an hour of discussion. Free entry, no need to book. You’re welcome to come along just to listen, or to take part actively in the discussion.

Human-caused global warming has been making headlines for over two decades, but people’s opinions on it often depend on what headlines they’re reading. How is it that a scientific theory has become so politicised? Join us to hear Adam Levy (Nature, University of Oxford; @ClimateAdam), a climate change scientist and YouTuber, discuss the key scientific evidence behind climate change, and explain why perspectives on climate change shouldn’t be a matter of belief.
twitter @oxfordscibar
facebook ‘British Science Association Oxfordshire Branch

Two hour cycle ride with Max as he reveals some surprising facts about the science of cycling. Ride and demonstration.
Please show up 10 minutes before departure at The Story Museum. The ride will finish back at The Story Museum.

Author and cyclist Max Gaskin explores the science of cycling from hydrogen to helmets!
6.30pm – 7.30pm £8/£5 concessions

International table tennis player, broadcaster and writer, Matthew Syed will reflect on the psychology of performance.

Part 2 of a three-part mini-series on notation: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.

Part 1 (July 16th) was Reading Slough and London Paddington: the persistent lure of spelling reform. Also coming up… Arithmetic: a study in the irreversibility of human progress (September 24th).

Free entry, no need to book. You’re welcome to come along just to listen, or to take part actively in the discussion. The meeting room will be indicated on the display screen just inside the Town Hall entrance lobby.

The Oxford Architecture Society lecture series

Lisa Finlay is coming to speak to us from Heatherwick Studio.
Established by Thomas Heatherwick in 1994, Heatherwick Studio is recognised for its work in architecture, urban infrastructure, sculpture, design and strategic thinking. At the heart of the studio’s work is a profound commitment to finding innovative design solutions, with a dedication to artistic thinking and the latent potential of materials and craftsmanship. In the twenty years of its existence, Heatherwick Studio has worked in many countries, with a wide range of commissioners and in a variety of regulatory environments.

Demographic changes across the world pose one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Longer lifespans and shifting fertility rates bring with them an array of global health issues. In this lecture, Professor Sarah Harper, Co-Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, will talk about the causes and effects of population change and the global age structural shift, and Professor Robyn Norton, Co-Director of The George Institute for Global Health, will address the implications of these changes on global health.

Oxford Centre for Life-Writing
Nicoletta Demetriou will discuss her attempt to record the stories of Cyprus’s last surviving traditional fiddlers. She will talk about what musicians’ life stories can tell us about the music and society we are looking at, and about the importance of letting biographical subjects tell their own story, in their own words.

This event is free of charge and open to all. Sandwiches will be provided.

Renewable energy is a strong component in the race to mitigate climate change, and solar power is a particularly cheap and viable green energy option. Considering current technologies, cost, markets and infrastructure, Professor Henry Snaith, Co-Director of the Programme on Solar Energy: Organic Photovoltaics, and Professor Malcolm McCulloch, Head of the University of Oxford’s Electrical Power Group and Co-Director of The Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy, will debate whether solar is indeed the answer to the urgent question of irreversible climate change.

This interdisciplinary workshop examines the impact of music on the brain from the point of view of different disciplines (medicine/physiology, psychology, philosophy).

Following a series of short talks by St Hilda’s Fellows and expert guest speakers, there will time for questions. Tea and coffee will be available.

Professor Nick Bostrom, Director of the Future of Humanity Institute, will explore the huge technological, scientific and environmental shifts that have led to humanity’s current state, and consider the choices that will determine our long-term future.

Philip Ross Bullock is Professor of Russian Literature and Music at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wadham College. He is the author of a number of books and articles on various aspects of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Russian literature and music, and has recently completed a short critical life of Tchaikovsky, to be published by Reaktion in 2016.
This event is free of charge and open to all.

Exhibition opens at 3pm – Talks 5pm – Drinks 6.45pm

The first English full-stage, masked production of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex caused a sensation when it opened at Sadler’s Wells in January 1960. Directed by Michel Saint-Denis and conducted by Colin Davis, the designs by the Algerian theatre designer, Abd’Elkader Farrah captured the high modernist, ritualised aesthetic of Stravinsky’s oratorio.

Join us for an Exhibition and Study Afternoon devoted to this ground breaking production. Speakers: Jonathan Cross (Oxford) on Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex; Stephen Harrison (Oxford) on Jean Daniélou’s Latin version of Cocteau’s Libretto; and,
Jane Pritchard (Curator of Dance, Theatre and Performance Collections, V&A) on Farrah’s designs.

Society for Dance Research/DANSOX presents a one-day conference on ‘The Role of the Choreographer in the Stage and Screen Musical’.
With distinguished keynote speeches from Dame Gillian Lynne, acclaimed British dancer, choreographer, and theatre/television director; and Professor Millie Taylor (University of Winchester). Dame Gillian Lynne will speak at 2pm. There will be a drinks reception after the conference.

Climate predictions provide key scientific input into climate policy – and will continue to do so in future years. Professor Tim Palmer, Co-Director of the Programme on Modelling and Predicting Climate, will discuss how scientific and technical advances can be expected to improve our climate predictive capability in the coming years – for example through the application of inexact supercomputers, about which James Martin himself was especially enthusiastic. With projects like the Large Hadron Collider in mind, Tim will also discuss possible changes in the way climate prediction science organises itself internationally. Finally, Tim will address the important question of how to attract more mathematicians and theoretical physicists into the field of climate science.

A wealth of new and advancing technologies are changing the way we approach research in healthcare. The use of big data sets, precision medicine and machine learning mean that research studies can be bigger, cheaper and wider reaching than ever before. In this lecture, Professor Martin Landray, Deputy Director of the Big Data Institute, and Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford, will consider how recent advancements in healthcare technologies have radically changed how we go about medical research, and look at how future innovations could further shape the field.

‘A Conductor’s Point of View: Commonalities and Differences Between Wagner and Strauss’. A lecture by Christian Thielemann. Humanitas Visiting Professor in Opera Studies 2015-2016, Christian Thielemann delivers a lecture on ‘A Conductor’s Point of View: Commonilities and Differences Between Wagner and Strauss’. Chrisitian Thielemann is principal conductor of the Staatskapelle. In addition to his current position in Dresden, Thielemann has been Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival since 2013, where the Staatskapelle is resident orchestra.

Much in demand as a versatile concert conductor, he has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras and has also performed in Israel, Japan, and China. Opernwell magazine crowned him Conductor of the Year for his interpretation of »Frau ohne Schatten« at the Salzburg Festival of 2011.

As a UNITEL exclusive artist, Thielemann has a comprehensive catalogue of recordings. One of the most recent ventures has been a complete cycle of the symphonies of Johannes Brahms. He has recorded all of Beethoven’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Thielemann is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and holds honorary doctorates from the Franz Liszt College of Music in Weimar and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In May 2015 he was awarded the Richard Wagner prize by the Richard Wagner Society of the city of Leipzig.

This lecture will be followed by a drinks reception.

Ian Bostridge, acclaimed tenor, talks about his passion for Schubert, with demonstrations from Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise.

‘Kapellmeister or Conductor’ Christian Thielemann in conversation with Roger Allen. Humanitas Visiting Professor in Opera Studies 2015-2016, Christian Thielemann in conversation with Roger Allen. Chrisitian Thielemann is principal conductor of the Staatskapelle. In addition to his current position in Dresden, Thielemann has been Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival since 2013, where the Staatskapelle is resident orchestra.

Much in demand as a versatile concert conductor, he has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras and has also performed in Israel, Japan, and China. Opernwell magazine crowned him Conductor of the Year for his interpretation of »Frau ohne Schatten« at the Salzburg Festival of 2011.

As a UNITEL exclusive artist, Thielemann has a comprehensive catalogue of recordings. One of the most recent ventures has been a complete cycle of the symphonies of Johannes Brahms. He has recorded all of Beethoven’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Thielemann is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and holds honorary doctorates from the Franz Liszt College of Music in Weimar and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In May 2015 he was awarded the Richard Wagner prize by the Richard Wagner Society of the city of Leipzig.

Ada Lovelace’s notes on music and computation inspired the musical content of the Ada Lovelace Symposium held at the University of Oxford in December, on the 200th anniversary of her birth. These included a short operatic work, two commissioned pieces, and music generated by a simulator of Babbage’s analytical engine. This talk will explain our musicological, mathematical, and computational journey to this event, and reflect on digital scholarship 200 years ago and today.

David De Roure is Professor of e-Science and Director of the Oxford e-Research Centre. He has strategic responsibility for Digital Humanities at Oxford and directed the national Digital Social Research programme for ESRC, for whom he is now a strategic adviser. His personal research is in Computational Musicology, Web Science, and Internet of Things. He is a frequent speaker and writer on digital scholarship and the future of scholarly communications.

If you have a University or Bodleian Reader’s card, you can get to the Centre for Digital Scholarship through the Mackerras Reading Room on the first floor of the Weston Library, around the gallery. If you do not have access to the Weston Library you are more than welcome to attend the talk: please contact the organizer before the event.

‘Regietheater Revisited’ roundtable discussion chaired by Peter Franklin with participants including Barry Millington. Humanitas Visiting Professor in Opera Studies 2015-2016, Christian Thielemann is taking part in a roundtable discussion chaired by Peter Franklin and participants including Barry Millington. Chrisitian Thielemann is principal conductor of the Staatskapelle. In addition to his current position in Dresden, Thielemann has been Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival since 2013, where the Staatskapelle is resident orchestra.

Much in demand as a versatile concert conductor, he has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras and has also performed in Israel, Japan, and China. Opernwell magazine crowned him Conductor of the Year for his interpretation of »Frau ohne Schatten« at the Salzburg Festival of 2011.

As a UNITEL exclusive artist, Thielemann has a comprehensive catalogue of recordings. One of the most recent ventures has been a complete cycle of the symphonies of Johannes Brahms. He has recorded all of Beethoven’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Thielemann is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and holds honorary doctorates from the Franz Liszt College of Music in Weimar and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In May 2015 he was awarded the Richard Wagner prize by the Richard Wagner Society of the city of Leipzig.