Clare College Campaign for Music

Over the last four decades, Clare College has become a beacon of musical excellence. Thanks to the vision and leadership of two outstanding Directors of Music, John Rutter and Timothy Brown, music at Clare has gained an outstanding international reputation.

To sustain this excellence for future generations, as Timothy Brown prepares to retire after 31 years as Director of Music, the College has launched the Campaign for Music. It aims to support every aspect of music-making at Clare, choral and instrumental as well as the overall Directorship of Music.

The College is committed to supporting music-making at a high level. However, given budgetary pressures and cuts in public spending after the next general election, Clare will face the challenge of focussing its limited resources on its core activities of teaching, learning and research. It will therefore be important to have ring-fenced funding for music, if our musical excellence and the opportunities currently afforded to talented young musicians are not to be lost.

“When Tim Brown succeeded me as the College’s second full-time Director of Music, Clare’s musical life was growing in strength, and there was great promise for the future. Tim has fulfilled that promise, taking the College to new heights in music-making, and I am tremendously proud of what he has achieved. Now, as the baton is passed to a new generation, we face great uncertainty about funding. We must therefore do all we can to ensure that musical excellence is safeguarded for the future.”  ~  John Rutter (1964, Honorary Fellow)

For a summary of the Campaign Objectives, please click here or for further information about the three aspects of the Campaign, please click on the links below.




Gift opportunities and donor recognition

All gifts, large or small, make a real difference to the Clare Campaign for Music and are greatly appreciated. The success of the Campaign will depend on attracting support from a wide range of individuals – alumni and well-wishers contributing modest sums as well as major donors. For example:
• Eight people giving £30.55 per month for three years, with Gift Aid, will endow singing lessons for a member of Clare Choir in perpetuity.
• Six people giving £51.85 per month for three years, with Gift Aid, will endow an instrumental scholarship in perpetuity.
For individual naming opportunities and recognition of principal benefactors, please click here.

Supporting the Campaign

If you would like to support the Campaign for Music, please use the following donation form or contact:


Dr Toby Wilkinson (Development Director) or Johnny Langridge (Development Associate)
The Development Office, Clare College, Cambridge CB2 1TL, UK
t. +44 (0)1223 333218 | e. development@clare.cam.ac.uk