KA Arts Leadership Awards
Left to right: Joe Treasure, Panel Member; Ell Potter, Panel Member; Eugenie Dalgleish, Award Winner; Eleanor Dunlop, Award Winner; Mike Fawcett, Donor and Panel Member; Ashley Turner, Award Winner; Nadja Yang, Award Winner; Alessandra Martorana, Panel Chair; Katrina Fox, Panel Member, and Jacob Ewens, Panel Member.
The first Keble Association Arts Leadership Awards were presented at this year’s St Mark’s dinner on Sunday 23 April.
Made possible through generous funding from Keble alumnus Mike Fawcett (1972 Literae Humaniores), the awards recognise and celebrate artistic excellence and leadership — students who are initiators, innovators and doers.
The judging panel, made up of Keble Alumni — Ell Potter (2014 English Language & Literature), Joe Treasure (1974 English), Katrina Fox (2018 History of Art & Visual Culture), Jacobs Ewens (2013 Music), Mike Fawcett (1972 Literae Humaniores), Alessandra Martorana (2015 Geography) and Barney Norris (2006 English) — emphasised that all the applications received set a high bar and the winners exemplified outstanding artistic achievements and leadership.
The 2023 winners:
Eugenie Dalgleish (2022 Music) is a violinist who has shown exceptional commitment and initiative in learning, with her sister, a new violin duet every day since the first Covid lockdown over three years ago. Publishing each duet on Instagram (@twoviolinsisters), she has raised funds for the National Emergencies Trust Coronavirus Appeal. She also posts daily tips to over 16,000 Instagram (@eugeniedalgleishviolin) followers on how to practise the violin, and has TikTok and YouTube accounts on her daily life as an Oxford University student.
Eleanor Dunlop‘s (2020 English Language and Literature) achievements in the theatre include acting, singing, writing and as marketing manager. Over the last two terms, she has performed in a completely sold-out play at the Pitt Rivers Museum, and in a well-received musical in the O’Reilly Theatre, and has contributed as marketing manager and script advisor for a new piece of original student writing. She has emphasised inclusion, both in the diversity of the performers and in making theatre available to audience members with neurodivergence or disabilities.
Ashley Turner (2020 Economics and Management) is an accomplished jazz saxophonist. As well as exploring his own musical interests in small groups, including his quintet Woodshed, he has served the needs of the wider student community as Musical Director of the University Jazz Orchestra. His role at OUJO includes organising the band’s repertoire, auditioning, planning and conducting weekly rehearsals, and compering and leading gigs, while keeping all the players motivated and overcoming problems and emergencies. For videos, see https://www.youtube.com/@ashleyturner7986/videos.
Nadja Yang (2020 Engineering Science) is the founder and first president of the University’s Oxford PhoenOx Chinese Dance Society. Over the last two terms, she has promoted the society, increasing membership, participation and team bonding; and she has led the planning, rehearsal and performance of a large-scale Chinese dance piece (attracting an audience of over 800), including playing a part in the choreography and performing a solo dance. See Instagram @nadja.yang and @phoenox.dance.
