Beyond Words: University of Surrey hosts packed concert blending music and research

The performance featured a 46-piece orchestra drawn from across the University including students from Music and Media, the Guildford School of Acting, the Vet School, Physics, Biosciences and Engineering, alongside recent graduates and special guest musicians from the local community. Two student ensembles also performed: the University of Surrey Brass Ensemble and a vocal sextet from Vox Hominum directed by postgraduate student Michelle Wong.

Conducting duties were shared by Dr Christopher Wiley (Head of Music and Media), Vincent Godfrey and Peter Fender (freelance musicians and PhD students), and internationally renowned conductor Odaline de la Martinez, the first woman to conduct a BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and Honorary Visiting Professor at the University.

The programme was rooted in University-led research and teaching, spotlighting the work of Surrey-based composer and suffragette Dame Ethel Smyth, including two UK premieres. Short talks between pieces introduced instruments and explained how the music connected to the University’s research and the concert’s theme. Further context was provided through foyer poster displays, a 16-page programme and a dedicated slideshow.

Also featured was Scenes from ‘Imoinda’, a new work by de la Martinez exploring African culture and Afro-Cuban slavery, with professional soloists Donna Bateman and Sandeep Gurrapadi. The concert concluded with orchestral arrangements from Jurassic Park, James Bond and ABBA, before Dr Wiley led a stirring audience rendition of Smyth’s anthem The March of the Women.

The event was delivered in partnership with Surrey History Centre, Surrey Heritage, Retrospect Opera and Surrey Arts. During the interval, audiences were invited to try selected instruments, while students from the University’s Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister) programme recorded the performance.

The sold-out audience of more than 150 responded with glowing feedback, describing the afternoon as “joyful and eclectic”, “exhilarating and uplifting” and “brilliantly presented”.