Statement from the Provost

If you've read the latest edition of @cambridgeuniversity's CAM magazine you'll know all about two of room U2's residents, so we were delighted when alumnus Matthew Lee (KC 1988) got in touch to share his own memories. "U2, Bodley's Court was my room too! Specifically my third year as an undergraduate (1990-1991) and well I remember that bitter winter when the River Cam froze. That's me in the photo - brushing my teeth as I recall - taken by my Queens' girlfriend - and now wife! I was amused to see that the curtains, desk and general décor look not to have changed one jot; albeit the former seem to have faded a little!" Do you have any memories of your King's student room? 📷: 1: Matthew in U2, 1990-1991 2-3: Phil Wang and current U2 Bodley's resident George for CAM, 2025. 4: Zadie Smith (KC 1994) and student Romeo in Bodley's Court Room V6 for CAM, 2024, © Megan Taylor. #CambridgeAlumni #MRYR #MyRoomYourRoom #StudentMemories

👀Spotted on Scholars' Piece: a fox, her four cubs, and a deer! With thanks to the talented - and very patient - @TrinityHallCamb student @J.Clarkson.Photography for capturing these glimpses of wildlife in the heart of King's. 🦊📷 #CambridgeWildlife #WildlifePhotography #NatureInCambridge 📷 - @J.Clarkson.Photography

The @TrinCollCam Musical Theatre Programme is a brand-new scheme which offers outstanding vocalists from across @cambridgeuniversity the chance to work over the academic year with internationally-recognised voice teacher @CameronORichardson. 17 students were chosen for the pilot programme from a large number of applications and they have had coaching sessions over the year. The concert on 8 May was the culmination of that work and an opportunity to showcase the musical theatre talent in the University. Part of this first cohort is King’s MPhil student @kaetlyn_liddy (Social Anthropology) who told us as she crossed the Front Court on her way to this very special concert: “I’ll be singing a song called ‘I Wish It So’ from the musical Juno. I’ve learned so much from the Trinity Musical Theatre Programme, particularly from my individual lessons with Cameron Richardson-Eames. Making progress as a singer can sometimes be very gradual or subtle, but I have learned so quickly and effectively in my time with Cameron. Pursuing a career in musical theatre is something I have always been interested in, but I’ve historically found it difficult to balance my academic and artistic goals. This programme has not only helped me develop my technique and artistry as a singer, but reminded me how much I love performing and musical theatre as a creative medium. I find music to be such a nice escape from my academic work, especially as a master’s student, and it only enhances my ability to thrive in that sphere of my life as well. I feel lucky to have been able to do both at a high level this term. It’s not a very common opportunity for most graduate students to continue a creative passion once academic work begins to get more consuming, so I’m very grateful to have been in the first cohort of this wonderful programme.”

Last week we were joined by the wonderful Sandi Toksvig OBE for our annual Turing Lecture. In her informative talk, Sandi covered everything from gender bias, experimenting with AI and concluded with a toast to Alan Turing himself.💻🥃 Thank you to everyone who made this year's event possible. Keep your 👀peeled for the recording of Sandi's lecture, available on our YouTube page soon. #SandiToksvig #AI #AlanTuring #MappaMundi @camsociology @christscollegecambridge @girtoncollege

An autograph manuscript of Jane Austen’s 'Sanditon' has gone on loan to Harewood House in Yorkshire as part of their new exhibition ‘Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter’. The manuscript was gifted to King’s in 1930 by Jane’s great-great niece Mary Isabella Lefroy, who was the sister-in-law of King's Provost Augustus Austen Leigh (1840-1905). 👉 Learn more about the exhibition and King's surprising Austen connection: external link 📷taken by College Librarian James on his visit to Harewood House #JaneAusten #Sanditon #PrideAndPrejudice #Archives

The annual Sermon Before the University will take place this Sunday in the College Chapel. Unlike previous years, this year's sermon will feature not one, but three different speakers - The Reverend Prebendary Dr Isabelle Hamley (Principal, Ridley Hall), Rabbi Charley Baginsky (CEO, @Liberal.Judaism) and @Zara_M02 (Ex-Officio, @muslimcouncil.uk) Speaking on the topic of 'Finding Beauty, inviting joy', this is a wonderful opportunity to hear from three women who will speak from the perspectives of each of the great Abrahamic faiths. We hope you can join us! Find out more 👉 external link

Spring into King's this season and join Head Gardener Steve Coghill for a guided tour around our beautiful gardens. 🌻🌷💮 This May and June we'll be opening our doors to the public for a chance to explore and learn more about the College's gardening initiatives. 👉Head to external link for more info and to book your tickets! #KingsGardens #GardenTour #VisitKings #SpringGardening

We're delighted to be joined by guest speaker Sandi Toksvig OBE for our annual Alan Turing Lecture, Thursday 8 May at 5.00pm. The Alan Turing Lecture, launched in 2017, is given by a leading authority from a key discipline on which Turing's work has had greatest impact. This year's lecture will examine how academic investigation may be skewed by confirmation bias and socially engineered distortions. All are welcome to join this online event. 👉 Register at:external link #SandiToksvig #AI #AlanTuring @camsociology @christscollegecambridge @girtoncollege