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

IEP Talk: Learning from Failure at Work |
Wednesday 30 September 2026, 6pm

Most organisations say they “learn from failure.” Very few actually do.

The uncomfortable truth is that a setback doesn’t teach you anything on its own. What determines whether a failure becomes insight or just scar tissue is when you look at it — and who is in the room when you do.

Dr Farah Patell Socha (Industry & Enterprise Fellow) is hosting Professor Andreas Richter (Cambridge Judge Business School) at Clare Hall for a talk that takes this apart:

Andreas studies how teams and organisations actually behave under pressure, not how they say they behave.

Open to all — academics, founders, industry. Come and bring a failure worth discussing.

***Please note that we have currently reached the maximum number of places available for the event. Further registrations are welcome and will be added to a waiting list, with places offered as they become available due to cancellations.

Clare Hall Colloquia |
Tuesday 13 October – Tuesday 1 December 2026, 7.15pm

The Clare Hall Colloquia provide members of the College – especially (but not exclusively) Visiting Fellows and Life Members – with an opportunity to present their research, whether in its early stages or already published, in a friendly setting. They are a great way to discuss your ideas, meet fellow members and to contribute to our vibrant community. Sessions take place on Tuesday evenings during term time, 7.15–9.15pm, in the Clare Hall Meeting Room. Refreshments are provided.

The first talk of the term will take place on 13 October with speaker Professor Mar Rubio-Veras (Visiting Fellow, Universidad Publica de Navarra, Spain).

Title: From Fossil Fuels to the First Wind Gigawatt: Energy, Economic Change, and the Making of a Renewable Future

From the harnessing of fire to the fossil-fuel age, changes in energy have transformed economies and societies. Today, we face the challenge of building a new energy system beyond fossil fuels. This talk explores what history can tell us about such transitions, combining a broad overview of changing energy systems with the story of Navarra, a small Spanish region that became a pioneer of the European wind-energy industry. What can its experience teach us about building a renewable future?

Please see the full Michaelmas programme here.

Clare Hall’s Ceramics Symposium |
Saturday 24 October 2026, from 11am

Clare Hall is delighted to invite you to the Clare Hall ceramics symposium entitled Studio Ceramics: International Dimensions, and the launch of the Bell Collection’s catalogue raisonné, Studio Potters: The Bell Collection at Clare Hall, to be held in the Richard Eden Suite on Saturday 24 October 2026 from 11am.

The symposium brings together leading scholars, curators, and practitioners to explore the multicultural influences that have shaped twentieth-century studio ceramics. The event also celebrates the Bell Collection of Studio Pottery (1920-1980), which has been kindly donated by Professor Gordon Bell and his wife Kathy. The symposium will conclude with a drinks reception to announce and celebrate the launch of the Bell Collection catalogue. We very much hope you will be able to join us for this special occasion.

See the schedule here.

The Bell Collection catalogue will also be available to purchase throughout the day.

We kindly ask that you RSVP by completing the Google form below by Monday 12 October 2026.

Google form: https://forms.gle/bmF5Ff5BFJTh7HrS9

The Betty Behrens Seminar on Classics of Historiography |
Friday 30 October – Friday 27 November 2026, 2.15pm

he Betty Behrens Seminar on Classics of Historiography offers a unique opportunity for students and scholars to reflect on some great historical works and engage in discussion with renowned experts. This Michaelmas term, the seminar will take place between the 30 October and the 27 November and will be composed of three meetings. The charming and fresh atmosphere of the Richard Eden Suite in Clare Hall, West Court, will be the location for the discussions.

The first meeting is on Friday 30 October from 2.15-4.00 pm with speaker Katherine Clarke (Professor of Greek and Roman History, University of Oxford).

Find more information here. Register for the seminars via Eventbrite.

➢ Music

Continuum: Renewal |
Saturday 17 October 2026, 7.30pm

Performed by Continuum , “Renewal” is a celebration of choral music moving from darkness into light, tracing a journey through stillness, reflection and the gradual return of morning. Renaissance and contemporary works sit side by side in a programme that includes a new Continuum commission by Alexander Hopkins and a recent Continuum commission by Stuart Beer. The concert culminates in the dawn-like radiance of Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Salutation.

The performance forms part of the continuing partnership between Clare Hall and Continuum Choir, bringing outstanding choral music to audiences across Cambridge.

See the programme here.

*Please note that this concert will take place in Clare College Chapel, Cambridge, CB2 1TL.

Join us! Book your tickets via Eventbrite: General Admission – £20, Clare Hall members – £15, students – £5.

Clare College Choral Evensong, Michaelmas 2026 |
Thursday 22 October 2026, 6.15pm

All members of Clare Hall are warmly welcome to a special Choral Evensong at Clare Chapel, on Thursday 22nd October, at 6.15pm. This may be of particular interest to new Clare Hall students, who will have a chance to experience a unique aspect of college life, and hear our wonderful Clare Choir sing!

Find more information and register your place here.

Oktay Üst: Folk Songs of the Black Sea and Turkish Anatolia |
Saturday 31 October 2026, 7.30pm

For the first time in Cambridge, acclaimed singer, multi-instrumentalist and culture bearer Oktay Üst brings the music of the Black Sea and Turkish Anatolia to the stage in an intimate live concert.

A native Laz speaker and one of the rare contemporary musicians bringing Black Sea musical traditions to international audiences, Oktay is known for his powerful voice and distinctive repertoire spanning Laz, Turkish and other Anatolian traditions.

Founder of the iconic Black Sea group Karmate, he has performed across Turkey and Europe, sharing music rooted in the landscapes and communities of the region.

From exuberant dances and communal celebrations to songs of separation, hardship and homesickness, this special performance explores the deep connection between music, memory and place.

Joined by talented Turkish musicians based in the UK, Oktay will present an evening of traditional instruments, unforgettable singing and living musical traditions carried across borders.

Everyone is welcome to attend! Get your tickets via Eventbrite: General Admission – £20, Clare Hall members – £15, students – £5.

➢ Art

Other than Words: A Sense of Release in the Presence of Art |
Friday 25 September – Thursday 12 November 2026

Clare Hall is delighted to host Other than Words: A Sense of Release in the Presence of Art, a new exhibition of recent paintings by Jerry Scott. The exhibition will be open for public viewing Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm.

Find more information here.

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/

➢ External events

Cambridge Sports Fair 2026 |
Monday 5 October 2026, from 12pm

The annual Sports Fair will take place on Monday 5 October 2026 from 12-5pm at the University Sports Centre. The Sports Fair features stands and representatives from over 70 University sports clubs, information on inter-collegiate sport, as well as full details of the Sports Centre’s Give it a Go programme of beginner-friendly activities. There will be demonstrations on the day and lots of activities to try out.

Find more information 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.

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.

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!

➢ Activities and Societies

Clare Hall Book Club |
Monday 5 October 2026, 8pm

Join the College’s Book Club as they discuss Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. 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.

Pilates sessions |
Monday 5 October – Monday 30 November 2026, 12.15pm

We are delighted to host Pilates sessions at Clare Hall throughout Michaelmas Term. The classes will be held on Mondays during lunchtime. Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility.

A full list of dates and the sign-up sheet can be found here.

Yoga sessions |
Sunday 18 October – Sunday 29 November 2026, 2pm

We are delighted to host Sunday afternoon yoga sessions in the Michaelmas Term. Yoga is a holistic mind–body practice that combines physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation to promote strength, flexibility, and inner balance.

A full list of dates and the sign-up sheet can be found here.

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.