Monday 28 April 2025
The Keble Association Arts Leadership Awards 2025
Congratulations to Leo Bevan, Laura Brink, Iris Burlacu, Rose Campion, Olivia Cho and Alexandra Somers, who were presented this year’s Keble Association Arts Leadership Awards at the annual St Mark’s dinner on Sunday.
The awards recognise and celebrate artistic excellence and leadership — students who are initiators, innovators and doers — and are made possible through generous funding from Keble alumnus Mike Fawcett (1972 Literae Humaniores).
The 2025 winners:
Leo Bevan (enhanced award) has over the last year written two full-length plays and 84 pieces of poetry, attracting over 20,000 online readers and critical acclaim. Leo was also President of the Jazz Society, revitalising it (and its finances); and performed stand-up and sketch comedy, including at the Oxford Revue, culminating in two sold-out shows and selection as MC for the Oxford Revue. The judges were highly impressed by the breadth of Leo’s artistic achievement, the strong personal drive, the thoughtfulness and the awareness of different forms of leadership – both through cooperation and direction.
Laura Brink has been a dynamic editor of Keble’s in-house magazine, the fig. She was also Creative Director for the 2024 Keble Ball, designing social media graphics, posters and signs, and creating the Ball’s décor, including pavement chalk “red brick road” as a Keble take on the Wizard of Oz theme. Laura also wrote for several student publications, including a parody scholarship application form which was published by The Isis Magazine as a full spread in their week 8 newsletter. The judges were impressed by the range of her contributions to both Keble and the wider Oxford community, her thoughtful delegation and her personal skills development.
Iris Burlacu (enhanced award) has been the musical director (MD) for two highly successful musical theatre productions – The Mad Ones in the Michael Pilch Studio and Jekyll & Hyde at the Oxford Playhouse. J&H was a very large project on which Iris worked with, and developed the skills of, two assistant MDs. Iris conducted for both productions and attracted stunning reviews, especially for J&H (one reviewer writing “the orchestra’s performance was the best that I have ever heard in a student production”) – outstandingly impressive for a first-time orchestral conductor. The judges particularly commended Iris’ initiative in arranging teaching by musical professionals, and her insightful coaching of her singers.
Rose Campion (enhanced award) has been instrumental in bringing together a group of Kurdish women musicians, now living in Germany, to create a “song and storybook” of their music and personal histories. The book’s publication was celebrated by a launch concert with eight performers and a packed house audience. As well as pulling together the book (working in five languages), Rose was project manager and artistic director for the launch concert. The judges were greatly impressed by the brilliance of Rose’s personal initiative, by the immense organisational effort and by her sensitive embrace of many strands of Kurdish culture while creating a cohesive work.
Olivia Cho has greatly developed her skills as a photographer over the last year. After previously working in theatrical photography, she expanded into fashion (lead photographer for the Oxford Fashion Gala); was appointed head photographer for Lincoln and Pembroke Balls; created Super 8 videos; and embarked on two independent photoshoots of her own. The judges liked the breadth of her photographic work, the development of her skills this involved, her personal creativity and her strong planning and foresight.
Alexandra Somers choreographed this year’s jazz routine for the O.U. Dance Competition team, winning the jazz category at Varsity (the first time Oxford had ever won in this category). Alexandra also danced impressively in a wide range of styles at both Varsity and the national university dance competition (including stepping in on the day to take the place of a colleague who fell ill). The judges commended the strength of her personal skills development, both as choreographer and dancer, the originality of her choreography and the interpersonal skills she displayed in leading the large dance team.