A weekend of music, ideas, and reunions

Coinciding with the Meeting Minds conference held across Oxford, our annual Alumni Weekend took place in September. More than a hundred Pembrokians from across several decades returned to their old College for a jam-packed weekend of music, poetry, research talks, and a delicious dinner in Hall to round it all off. 

Wine glasses in hand, a group of our alumni gathered in Farthings Café and Bar on the Friday evening for an eventful Poetry Slam. The wordsmiths among our alumni performed a range of original and imaginative poems, with Will Greig, whose grandfather attended Pembroke, being awarded first place by our judges. Congratulations to Brian Bissell (m. 1954) who received an honourable mention.

The weekend’s festivities continued with a wonderful musical performance on the Saturday – a collaboration between recent graduate Oscar Lawson (2022, Music), current student Laurence Flower (2024, Music), and fellow musician Hailey Wong. Their recital featured a classical cello-bass duet from Kummer and Rossini as well as a solo repertoire from Bach to Bottesini.

The day continued with an insightful lecture by alum Dr Gavin Spickett (1974, Physiological Sciences) who discussed his journey from an amateur runner starting out in his 40s to a trained fitness instructor competing in races of all distances, including ultramarathons. His lecture shared practical tips from his guide to running, published in 2023, including equipment, training, race preparation, recovery, and guidance on injuries and common health issues.

The evening ended on a high with a black-tie reunion dinner, held in the same Hall where our alumni will have enjoyed many such meals during their time as students. Our chefs did a wonderful job preparing delicious food for our alumni who enjoyed reconnecting and meeting Pembrokians from across the generations.

Alongside our Alumni Weekend activities, we welcomed alumni for lunch on the Sunday for Benefactors’ Day, a celebration of the generosity of Pembrokians and friends of College. Lunch was followed by two insightful research talks delivered by Pembroke Fellow in Japanese Studies Professor Linda Flores and DPhil student Franco Serra (2024). Professor Flores explored the importance of “small things” in Japanese “Cosy Fiction”, including Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the coffee gets cold, while Franco spoke about his research on corruption in South America.

It was a joy to welcome back so many of our alumni for what we hope was a great weekend for all involved. Our next Alumni Weekend will be taking place on the 17-19th September 2027.