No . 138 The Trusty Servant express themselves on the page and in conversation , and understand closely how the Hispanic world expresses and sees itself . We have learned so much from her and will miss her .’
Oli Tarney ( CoRo , 11-24 ; Head of Academic Music )
Ben Cunningham ( K , 07-12 ; CoRo , 18- ) writes :
I first met Oli when he came for his interview lesson in 2011 . He made quite an impression on us in VIBk , although perhaps not quite as much of an impression as he left when , at a different school , he turned up to a job interview having shaved just half of his face .
The brief he was given was to teach us something about 20th century music . Anything . Oli choose to teach on minimalism , and on Steve Reich in particular . But I ’ m afraid that the only thing that I remember about the lesson ( apart from the fact that we immediately told Nick Wilks , then Master of Music , that he was definitely our favourite of the candidates ) was the way that he seemed totally at home , superbly confident in his knowledge of the topic , and the way that he sat cross-legged on the teacher ’ s desk .
In his thirteen years of teaching at Win Coll , Oli has held several roles : Head of Composition , Head of Singing , Head of Academic Music , Div don , and , of course , Assistant Housemaster in Freddie ’ s , which he enjoyed so much that he has done it not once but twice .
Oli is quite obviously an inspiring teacher of music . But where he has found his penchant for red herrings best rewarded is Div . With scant regard for the carefully constructed Div syllabus , as designed by Dr Foster , he has regularly regaled us in the pub with triumphs of teaching his Div that most famous Enlightenment text , A Clockwork Orange , and , admittedly more on topic , The Rape of the Lock , Candide , and the rise of Nationalism . However , Oli ’ s passion lies in composition . He is becoming increasingly in demand for pieces of all types and for all abilities , and ultimately that is what he leaves us to pursue . I have been incredibly lucky to perform several of Oli ’ s pieces across the country , but his magnum opus to date is his St Mark ’ s Passion . Those of you who were there in New Hall in March 2022 will remember the power of this piece and way it brings the words , written by longstanding friend and collaborator Lucia Quinault , to life , and enhances their meaning in a unique way .
We will miss Oli greatly . His skills and qualities are something that we cannot hope to replace in one person . Like something out of Hansel and Gretel , he is immediately locatable in Music School by his trail of half-drunk mugs of tea ; his teaching of music , Div , singing , and composition ; his pastoral care for all the pupils , but , of course , most keenly for 13 years of Freddieites ; his technological nous ; his singing in chapel choir ; his tuba playing ; but , most of all , his friendship , generosity , and vast capacity for enjoyment and entertainment .
Maria Zampeta ( CoRo , 12-24 )
Dominic Rowland ( C , 01-06 ; CoRo , 16- ) writes :
Having Maria as a colleague in the mathmã department was an almost unalloyed pleasure for the past eight years . I say ‘ almost ’ because being assigned to teach a parallel set to one of Maria ’ s always engendered mixed emotions . I knew from the start of the year that I could look forward to genuinely interesting discussions about mathematics , helpful reminders about various tasks I was liable to forget and the slightly dispiriting phenomenon of her set scoring far higher than mine on any common test . I remember a pupil asking ‘ How does she do it ?’ and being told by a peer ‘ It ’ s her superpower .’
Certainly the way Maria got so much out of her pupils felt slightly magical at times , though her infectious love of the subject , relentlessly high standards and huge generosity with her time all played a part . Her tests were feared by the ablest further mathematicians but , despite her versatility as a teacher , she carved out a particular niche supporting the ‘ battlers ’ both in low sets and the learning centre . Many years ago , I asked an older colleague how Winchester prepared the third year for GCSEs . The response was something like : ‘ The top sets look after themselves , the middle sets get lots of past papers and for the bottom set Maria goes to war ’. Maria is evidently a formidable warrior and many Wykehamists owe her a great deal .
The list of those indebted to Maria is a long one and I am fortunate to be near the top . Looking back , an embarrassing number of conversations seem to involve me asking Maria for something and her agreeing . ‘ Could you give a session at the maths summer school this holiday ?’ ‘ Could you play something in the charity concert ?’ ( Maria was too modest talk much about her prior career as a professional pianist , but at some point I found out ...) ‘ Do you happen to have some questions I could use with the class I ’ m about to teach ?’ In the end , ‘ Will you promise not to leave Win : Coll before I do ?’ was perhaps the only request that didn ’ t go as I would have wished .
Michael Bruzon ( CoRo , 14-24 ; Head of Art )
Paul Lewthwaite ( CoRo , 15- ) writes :
Michael Bruzon has been with the college for ten years , for eight of which I have worked with him in the Art Department . He has been an excellent boss , teacher , artist and friend throughout this time . Some of you will know him mainly through his tutoring in Freddie ’ s or his heroic RAF CCF manoeuvres . I think that we can all agree that he is the
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