Five distinguished members of the Trinity College London community were presented with Honorary Awards at an event in London today. The recipients – Professor Luigi Berlinguer, Sir James MacMillan, Michael Hildesley, David Newbold and Father Thomas Chakkalamattath – were welcomed by Trinity College London’s Chief Executive, Sarah Kemp. The presentation was followed by a celebratory luncheon.
A successful politician and a distinguished academic, he has been widely honoured for his exceptional achievements in education and public life and has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Légion D’Honneur of the French Republic, the Gran Croce of the Italian Republic and numerous lauree honoris causa from around the world.
Over his long career he has been a member of the Italian Parliament, the European Parliament and the Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura. He also served as the Italian Minister of Education from 1996-2000.
Sir James MacMillan is one of today’s most successful composers and is also internationally active as a conductor. He was awarded a CBE in 2004 and a knighthood in 2015. Sir James first became internationally recognised after the extraordinary success of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie at the BBC Proms in 1990. His prolific output has since been performed and broadcast around the world.
Following a career as a banker and corporate financier Michael dedicated himself to a range of voluntary activities. He was appointed as a trustee at Trinity College London in 2002, later becoming Vice-Chairman and then, in 2015, Chairman of the Council – a role which he held until earlier this year.
Alongside his work for Trinity College London he has served as a non-executive director of various other companies and charities. Notably he served as a governor and Deputy Chairman of Trinity College of Music (which became Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music); Chairman of the Blackheath Halls; Director of The Songmakers’ Almanac; Councillor and Vice Chancellor of the Wine Guild of the United Kingdom and Trustee and Chairman of the Friends of Barnes Common.
David Newbold is a researcher at the University of Ca’ Foscari in Venice in the Department of Comparative Cultures and Literatures. He is a graduate in Modern Languages from Oxford University and holds postgraduate qualifications in TESOL from the University of Wales and Applied Linguistics from the University of Reading.
David has more than twenty years’ experience of teaching English as a foreign language at the Ecole Normale Superieure in France and at the Universities of Venice and Verona.
Father Thomas Chakkalamattath is widely regarded as the father figure for western music education in his native Kerala and across southern India. A highly learned and qualified individual, he possesses a Master’s Degree in Commerce, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Theology. He has also attained Grade 8 and Diploma awards in western music and is Carnatic Veena Higher.
From an early age, Father Thomas has been associated with the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) in Devamatha Province. In 1992, together they were instrumental in setting up CHETANA (Communication to Hasten Educational, Technological, Artistic and National Advancement), with Father Thomas as Director of Chetana Music Academy.
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