I have written before (15 December 2010, 23 February 2011, 27 May 2011) about inaugural and special lectures and the value I think they have in widening the experience of those who attend.  Tonight I was in the audience for another equally special occasion.  A good university makes many contribtuions to society at large - obviously through its educational mission, but also through its research when translated into policies and products for use in the wider world, through its involvement in wider debates on ethical, economic and technical issues, and in many other ways.  But a university with a significant cultural offering contributes to the enrichment of human experience. The recent 'Off The Shelf' festival brought many people from the wider community to book-related events sponsored by the University.  A  couple of weeks ago I was involved in the opening of an art exhibition in the city, partly sponsored by the university and partly by a major law form.  Tonight I attended a recital.

It's confession time about my personal interests - and the confession is that music is my main leisure activity.  In particular I play the piano, I enjoy opera, and I seek out musical experiences when I am travelling (and have introduced many students to their first opera attendance whilst on field classes in Berlin).  I particularly enjoy great singing, and over the years I have been fortunate enough to hear many of the great singers of recent decades - Janet Baker, Ileana Cotrubas, James Bowman, Cecilia Bartoli, Andreas Scholl, Natalie Dessay, Anna Netrebko and many more.  Tonight it was Elizabeth Watts in a recital of numbers by Alessandro Scarlatti and Handel.  And it took place in Firth Hall, to a sell-out audience who applauded until we were finally given an encore.  And Elizabeth Watts is a Sheffield graduate (in Archaeology rather than in Music) who has gone on to win the recital prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and a host of other prizes. It was a wonderful evening - a homecoming for one of our distinguished alumnae - and another aspect of the multiple contributions that the university makes to the wider community.  For I recognised relatively few people there: most were, I strongly suspect, from outsdie the university.

But as I sat listening to the full-bodied and technically brilliant singing (and one great feature of Elizabeth Watts is that every word is clearly articulated) I also looked around and pondered on the message that Firth Hall gives to the casual visitor.  It's a wonderful space, certainly, but with its portraits of ex-Vice-Chancellors all in acacdemic robes - and not a woman amongst them - it doesn't create a real feeling of inclusivity.  One of the main rooms at Queens University Belfast has similar portraits of males round the walls, but in pride of place on the main surface is a specially-commissioned painting entitled 'Women of the University' which depicts a range from professors to cleaners, students to secretaries, catering assistants to lab workers.  It's a nice and very effective idea.  And we could always have a world-class recitalist and opera singer depicted there to represent our alumnae.