HARTfest 2015

8 June 2015

Holly Redford-Jones and Ellen O’Neill (pictured, sporting HART Fest tshirts) report on the inaugural HART Fest in May 2015. Congratulations to all involved in making it such a success.

“Hertford recently celebrated the inauguration of its first ever Arts festival at the beginning of this Trinity term. ‘HART Fest’, a celebration of all things creative in Hertford, was spread across a long weekend in early May, with events taking place on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Set up and run by students in the JCR, all members of college were encouraged to get involved, displaying the level of artistic talent and interest in the college: Hertford College Music Society, the largest non-auditioning music society in the university, got things off to a flying start with Jazz on the Quad, enthusiasm undampened, but everything else very much so, by the pouring rain.

The next day music-lovers were treated to a Scratch Orchestra, which began rehearsing at 11am and performed the Lord of the Rings theme tune in front of an appreciative audience in OB quad a mere four hours later, as well as a piano recital by Wojciech Swietonski, the first of two collaborations with Oxford Polish Society. On Sunday the distinguished composer Pawel Lukaszewski paid a visit to the chapel, watching as the choir performed an Evensong of Polish music, and conducting one of his own pieces in front of a packed and appreciative audience. It wasn’t only music, either: there was the fascinating Representation of Youth in Literature panel, chaired by Hertford’s own Dr Emma Smith, where discussion ranged from fairytales to Shakespeare and Tolkein; a 50 word short story competition, which received fantastic entries from JCR, MCR, staff and students; a Life Drawing class, and several packed film screenings.

We are so grateful to all got involved in the organisation and logistics of HART Fest and hope it will be just as successful in years to come.”