Newsletter: Events at Clare Hall, Summer 2026
Dear Clare Hall members and friends,
Please find below a list of events taking place this week and beyond, to which you are warmly invited.
➢ Members’ events
Clare Hall Through Your Lens: Seasonal Photography Competition |
Monday 16 February – Monday 2 November 2026
Following the wonderful response to our community photo project, Clare Hall Through Your Lens continues throughout this special anniversary year as our official 60th Anniversary Photography Competition.
We invite students, fellows, staff, and families to capture Clare Hall’s grounds, gardens, and moments of college life across all four seasons. At the end of each season, a judging panel will select the top three photographs, which will go forward to be included in a commemorative Clare Hall 60th Anniversary Calendar.
This is a chance to celebrate Clare Hall at 60, highlight our natural environment, and contribute to a lasting visual record of the College during this milestone year.
Find out how to take part on the main event page.
New Clare Hall Books |
Pre-order now!
Clare Hall is delighted to share news of two forthcoming that highlight the College’s engagement with art, collecting and material culture.
Collecting Dutch Golden Age Paintings: The Search for the Winterfeldt Wouwerman by Professor Alan Short, President of Clare Hall, offers a personal and scholarly reflection on the pursuit of Dutch Golden Age paintings, drawing on decades of research and collecting experience. Several works from this collection are displayed in the President’s Lodge.
Studio Potters: The Bell Collection at Clare Hall by Clare Hall Associates Professor Gordon Bell and Helen Ritchie celebrates the Bell Collection, one of the College’s most distinctive cultural assets.
Find more information and pre-order the books here. There is a 10% discount if you subscribe to the publisher’s newsletter.
➢ Lectures and talks
RIBA UK–China Forum: Integrated Morphology of Future Cities |
Friday 17 July 2026, from 1pm
All Clare Hall members are warmly welcome to join this exciting event and meet distinguished RIBA architects from both the UK and China! This is a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas, share insights, and engage with leading professionals in the field.
We look forward to seeing you on Friday 17 July at the Richard Eden Suite, Clare Hall!
Please register via Eventbrite.
Clare Hall Summer Seminars |
Wednesdays, 29 July – 16 September 2026
The Clare Hall Summer Seminar Series will return this year, running from 29 July to 16 September. This series offers Clare Hall Visiting Fellows, Fellows and Life Members an opportunity to share their current research with the wider Clare Hall community.
The talks are intended to be accessible to a general yet intellectually engaged audience. Seminars will take place on Wednesdays in the Clare Hall Meeting Room from 6:00 to 7:00 pm, just before Formal Hall. All are welcome to attend. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the audience, speakers are kindly asked to avoid jargon and prioritise clarity and accessibility. Each session will feature a 30-minute presentation, followed by comments and questions over drinks.
The Summer Seminar Series is organised by Dr Li Tang.
Further details of this year’s seminar programme will be announced shortly.
➢ Music
Brazilian Piano Music in the Twentieth Century |
Saturday 8 August 2026, 7.30pm
Join us for an exciting recital, Brazilian Piano Music in the Twentieth Century, performed by Clare Hall Musician-in-Residence Patrick Hemmerlé.
This concert introduces the two most important Brazilian composers of the twentieth century, putting Brazil firmly on the map for modern music. Both extraordinarily prolific, they wrote in an idiom that shows their awareness of European music, while preserving strong national characteristics.
Programme
Camargo Guarnieri –Sonatines, Improvisos, Danzas
Heitor Villa-Lobos – Choros V, Saudades, A Tres Marias, Rudepoema
Book your tickets via Eventbrite: General admission – £10, children – free entry.
➢ Art
The Bell Collection of British Studio Pottery, 1920-1980 |
Ongoing
A rotating display of some 400 pieces of studio ceramics. Learn more at https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/bellcollection/
‘Infinite Variations’ – A 60th Anniversary Exhibition of Art in the Life of Clare Hall |
Friday 20 March – Friday 31 July 2026
Clare Hall is delighted to present its 60th Anniversary exhibition of artworks collected over the years. It is open to public Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
➢ External events
Botanic Garden Passes Available to Clare Hall Members |
Ongoing
A reminder that Clare Hall has 12 corporate passes available for members to borrow from the Porters’ Lodge, giving you access to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
Whether you’d like to enjoy a peaceful walk among the beautiful gardens, explore the seasonal displays, or attend one of the Garden’s many events, these passes are available for all members of the Clare Hall community to use.
If you’d like to borrow a pass, simply visit the Porters’ Lodge. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy this benefit, we kindly ask that passes be returned within 2 days.
Please note:
- Children under 16 and students with a University Card can enter the Garden free of charge and do not require a pass.
- If you have any questions, please contact the Porters’ Lodge at porters@clarehall.cam.ac.uk.
We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy one of Cambridge’s most beautiful green spaces. Be sure to check the Botanic Garden’s programme of seasonal events and activities before your visit!
SDG & AI+ Academic Conferences 2026 |
Monday 20 July – Sunday 16 August 2026
Two non-profit, peer-reviewed academic conferences focusing on SDG and AI+ will be held in Cambridge in summer 2026. Both events are organised by UniHive and hosted by Clare Hall and Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge.
Professor David Cope (Foundation Fellow at Clare Hall) and Professor Pietro Liò (Professorial Fellow at Clare Hall) will act as the Academic Chair of each conference.
Communication & Research Culture Workshop |
Register by Saturday 15 August 2026
We invite you to register for the Communication and Research Culture workshop, 8 – 9 December at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC CBU).
This event brings together colleagues from across University departments to share ideas, strengthen collaboration, and explore how to improve research culture together. All career stages and roles, academic and support staff, are warmly welcomed.
💡Registration and abstract submission are open until 15th August 2026.
Find more information and register here.
MASAMB Annual Meeting 2026 |
Register by Monday 24 August 2026
The MRC Biostatistics Unit is delighted to be hosting the Mathematical and Statistical Aspects of Molecular Biology (MASAMB) annual meeting 2026, on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 September 2026 at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
Find more details, submit your abstract, and register for the event here.
Life Member’s LEGO® Project |
Support idea by February 2027
Life Member Dr Chu-Cheng Lin (PhD 2016–2021; now a postdoctoral researcher in Zoology/PDN) has created a detailed biological laboratory built from LEGO, inspired by his work in cancer cell biology, neurobiology, molecular biology and entomology.
The project is currently on the LEGO Ideas platform and needs support to reach the 10,000 votes required for official review (now at ~2,000). If successful, it could become a real commercial LEGO set, helping bring the world of scientific research to a wider audience.
👉 Learn more and support the project:
https://beta.ideas.lego.com/product-ideas/ab52d2c2-0688-48e7-a7d1-77ae54a6aa4b
Every vote helps increase visibility and bring this unique scientific model closer to reality. Below is just a part of the whole project.
➢ Activities and Societies
Clare Hall Book Club |
Monday 3 August 2026, 8pm
Join the College’s Book Club as they discuss Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. All College members are welcome to attend in-person, meeting in Clare Hall’s Meeting Room, or via Zoom. If you are not on the mailing list and would like to be, please send an email to gloria.carnevali@icloud.com, confirming your Clare Hall connection and putting the following as the email title: I would like to join the Book Club mailing list.
Learn more about the Book Club on this page.
Choir Practice |
Various Dates
A reminder that Clare Hall Choir practice takes place in Robinson College Chapel every Monday (in term-time, but not always restricted to the official Cambridge term dates) from 7.30-9pm. New members are always welcome, and no previous singing or musical experience is necessary. The only requirement is that you want to sing and have fun doing it! If you are interested in joining, please email Ben de Souza, the Choir’s Director, who is a Clare Hall Associate, freelance choral conductor and accordionist: bd402@cam.ac.uk.
Recent recordings of the choir can also be found on our YouTube channel.
Clare Hall Families |
Various Dates
Clare Hall Families is an informal group that holds events throughout the year, centred around our popular Family Suppers, which take place each term.
Join the Clare Hall Families mailing list and WhatsApp group by filling out the form.
For any enquiries, please contact Chandy Nath at chandy.nath@gmail.com.
Find a full range of events at https://www.clarehall.cam.ac.uk/events