The winners of the latest round of Hook, Line and Lyrics @ Jesus competition have been announced today.
First prize went to Roy Juxon, (MPhil Economics, 2022) at Downing College with the song You just know my name. Second prize went to Pembroke College student Greta Thompson, (PhD Engineering, 2022), on behalf of her band Aquatic Ape for the song All that I need. Third prize was awarded to Jesus student Tara Buxton (English, 2023) with Metamorphosis.
From left Greta Thompson, fellow band member Pablo Hubacher Haerle, Roy Juxon, Master of Jesus College, Sonita Alleyne, Professor Benjamin Walton, Alex Hall of the Centre for Musical Performance, Tara Buxton
Honourable mentions went to Kirsty Mack of Robinson College for The Fall, and to King’s College student Joseph de Souza for I Can’t Begin to Tell You.
The competition, now in its second year, aims to spotlight up-and-coming Cambridge songsmiths, giving aspiring student songwriters in the city a new platform.
This term’s songs were judged by a panel of experts, including Sonita Alleyne OBE, Master of Jesus College and Chair of the Centre for Music Performance (CMP), Professor Ben Walton, Fellow of Jesus College and a Professor of Music History, and Alex Hall, Performance Assistant (Popular and World) at the CMP.
Sonita Alleyne said: “I’d like to congratulate the latest winners. Once again, the judges were impressed by the quality of entries we received, which showcase the fantastic creative talent on offer in Cambridge.
“A priority in my role as Master has been establishing and enabling greater opportunities for creativity in college and this competition offers the opportunity to extend that to other Cambridge students. I’d urge anyone who either missed out on entering last time or would like to have another go, to enter our next round.”
Simon Fairclough, Director of the Centre for Music Performance, added: “Huge congratulations to the three winners, and especially to Roy for his fantastic new song. We’re delighted to see how our partnership with Jesus College on Hook, Line and Lyric @ Jesus continues to support songwriters across the city. The Centre for Music Performance seeks to provide musical opportunities for everyone at Cambridge, and we offer regular songwriting classes led by industry professionals as well as hosting gigs where students’ music can be heard live right across the University.”
