No . 131
The Trusty Servant
Old Wykehamist News
Awards
In March 2021 Professor Francis Pott ( C , 71-75 ), Professor of Composition , London College of Music , University of West London , has been announced as recipient of the Medal of the Royal College of Organists , its highest award , in recognition of ‘ distinguished achievement as a choral and organ composer ’. The latest commercial recording of Pott ’ s choral works [ At First Light - Naxos 8.573976 ] was recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the USA . Pott ’ s choral and organ music is published exclusively by Edition Peters .
Professor Dieter Helm CBE ( Go Bo , 99-03 ) was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2021 New Year Honours List . The knighthood is for services to the environment , to energy and to utilities policy .
Appointments
Andrew Jones ( H , 82-86 ) has been appointed to the board of Save Venice , Inc , a US non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice . Frederick Ilchman ( D , 85-86 ) is its Chairman . Save Venice turns 50 in 2021 .
Ulrich Blum ( B , 70 ) has retired his position as Lieutenant Colonel ( reserve ) of the German Armed Forces . He now holds - beside the Chair for Political Economy - the position of a Founding Director of the Fraunhofer Centre for Economics of Materials . The main focus is geotechnology and its role in global rivalry . ( See below for Ulrich ’ s new book .)
Alex Ellis CMG ( K , 80-85 ) has been appointed British High Commissioner to India . This makes him the third
OW to be appointed to the role , following Sir Robert Wade-Gery ( Coll , 42- 47 ) 1982-87 and Sir Richard Stagg ( G , 69-73 ) 2007-11 .
Legal News
George Spalton ( K , 94-99 ) and Tony Singla ( E , 96-01 ) have been appointed Queen ’ s Counsel ( 2021 ).
Publications
Nicholas Shakespeare ’ s latest novel , The Sandpit has been published . It is a thriller set in Oxford , whose hero , John Dyer , is an Old Wykehamist . William Boyd describes it as ‘ A remarkable contemporary thriller – with shades of Graham Greene and Le Carré about it – but also a profound and compelling investigation of a hugely complex human predicament . Brilliantly observed , captivatingly written , grippingly narrated – a triumph ’ 448 pages ; Harvill Secker ; ISBN 978-1787301771 .
Charles Aldington ( G , 61-66 ) has written and published a book : On Landscape Design , In the words of Masters throughout the centuries . It explains how and why landscape gardens are made , based on the words of great practitioners from the West over the centuries . The book is intended for visitors to gardens , creators and students . The quotes , largely from the 18 th to 20 th centuries , come from France , USA , Germany ,
Belgium , Italy and the UK . The book puts the British experience into context and shows how British ideas were used and developed elsewhere ; some of the greatest English-style landscapes are in Germany , and writers complement and build on what they learnt from visiting Britain . 155 pages ; Intramuros Books ; ISBN 978-1527263291 .
Richard Lloyd ( Coll , 71-76 ) has written a book , The Heart of the Renaissance : The Stories of the Art of Florence , telling the stories of the lives of the Saints and of the Greek mythological heroes in the paintings and sculptures , as well as the lives of some of the artists and patrons , and describing the architecture of the best buildings . Richard ’ s neighbour and former tutor at Keble College Oxford , Sir Larry Siedentop , has kindly sent his opinion on the book - ‘ Congratulations on your fine book - it conveys an enthusiasm and freshness of approach which ought to be widely welcomed .’ 576 pages ; Unicorn Publishing ; ISBN 978-1913491185 .
Dominic Moore ( G , 86-91 ) has written a book entitled Keep Fit for Violinists . Fellow OW violinists Darius Thompson ( F , 91-95 ) and Edward Webb ( Coll , 83-88 ) made invaluable contributions to the book , and Jonathan Moore ( Coll , 83-88 ) created the website keepfitviolin . com . A £ 1 donation from every copy sold will go to the Royal Society of
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