Summer Evenings 2026

The Gita: Wisdom for All Ages - Stephen Silver, Principal of the School

The Gita - an inspiration in the East and West throughout the ages, was described by Mahatma Gandhi as "Unrivalled for its spiritual merit.”

Stephen Silver will examine this tribute drawing on some of the most profound and enduring quotations from this great text.

Stephen Silver has been a student of philosophy for over fifty years, having started attending classes in New York in 1974. He retired from a career in IT and Project Management. Having been Principal of the School since his election in 2019 he chairs the Trustees and takes a lead on all matters of finance and administration. He has tutored extensively in the UK and abroad. He looks after the Berkshire Branch of the School and runs Gita study weekends.

The Art of Service - Bartholomew O’Toole, Barrister 

Service becomes an art when we meet the reasonable needs of others with undivided attention and within our capacities, thereby awakening a deeper understanding of ourselves and those we serve. Bartholomew O’Toole will explore the meaning of service and discuss his findings in Service and invite contributions from the floor.    

Like many long-standing students in the School Bartholomew O’Toole has offered service from youth to adult life, to the School, family, friends, professional life, and other voluntary activity, and still finds time for sport and recreation. Married with two adult sons, he has been a practising barrister for over 40 years in all areas of serious crime, both defending and prosecuting. He is an active football referee, former Chairman of the Board of the Referees' Association, and voluntarily advises and represents football participants at internal disciplinary hearings.

The Journey of Self-Discovery - William Wray, Sherry Moran, and Matt McNeill 

What is Self-discovery, how long a journey is it, and why is it important in these busy lives we lead in the 21st Century?

Three long standing philosophy tutors will explore this in conversation and then invite audience participation.

William Wray worked in Further and Higher Education, before joining St James Independent Boys’ School where he became Head of Middle School at  He is a playwright, and whilst at St James wrote and produced a range of plays, musicals, and operas.

He has written a number of books on philosophical themes, including works on the major traditions, on the philosophy of Leonardo and on the practical relevance of Platonic thinking.

He runs Wisdom Works, an internet-based initiative designed to make philosophic ideas practical. He founded Inspiration, days devoted to creative thinking and Art Symposium, a forum in which people who have contributed to the arts speak freely of their inspiration and aspirations. For a number of years he ran First Year Philosophy in London. He now runs Philosophy As a Way of Life, courses based on Stoic thought.

Sherry Moran, in her 40 years with SPES, has tutored Philosophy 1-12, wrote and directed the 10-minute History of the School video, and ran the Ceramics section of the Art In Action festival. On its closure, Sherry launched Celebrating Ceramics, a 3-day summer festival at Waterperry Gardens.

Sherry’s career has evolved from running the internal communications department of a global investment bank to founder/director of two communications and documentary video businesses, to her current role as founder/director of a pharma technology company.

She is on the Waterperry Gardens Limited Board, and the Board of Open Style Lab, a non-profit organisation committed to making style accessible to everyone regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.

Matt McNeill has worked in technology for over 25 years. Throughout a varied career, he has worked alongside some leading innovators and inspiring leaders at a range of companies in space technology, healthcare, government, and more recently at leading global internet players. Matt has been a student at the School, studying Philosophy and Economics for over 25 years and has been tutoring groups in the early years for over 15 years.

English Songs and Sonatas from Baroque to 21st Century - Gillian Thompson, Helena Ruinard, Adrian Green, and Will Pate, Musicians, singers, and teachers of music

A music concert. There will be an interval with refreshments

Gillian Thompson studied piano with David Ward at the Royal College of Music on the graduate course, then took her post-graduate teaching qualifications at Homerton College, Cambridge.  She studied singing with Dr. Margaret Lobo and was a soloist with Discantus and Linden Baroque, directed by Catherine Mackintosh. She was Head of Music at Kew College for 15 years, directing the annual musical productions from the keyboard. She performed frequently at Art in Action, in Oxford, both as a soprano soloist and duettist, as an accompanist and as a solo pianist.  She now teaches piano and singing privately.     

Helena Ruinard read Music at Selwyn College Cambridge, followed by instrumental studies at the Royal College of Music, where she was supported by an award from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust. She has developed a career as an orchestral violinist, performing regularly with some of the UK’s finest ensembles, including the orchestra of Opera North, City of London Sinfonia and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and touring to major venues around the country. Alongside this she has become a dedicated teacher, currently working for In Harmony Opera North, and contributes to publications in the world of music education and classical music.

Adrian Green was educated at St James Schools (London) and has been a student in the School of Philosophy and Economic Science since 1995. He is currently head of the School’s Music Group. He is the Managing Director of Convivium Records (est. 2009) and Convivium Singers, and a tenor Lay Clerk at Portsmouth Cathedral. Adrian has run Portsmouth Cathedral’s “Cathedral Sing” programme since September 2008, which engages with thousands of primary school children each year.

Will Pate studied French at Magdalen College, Oxford where he was a choral scholar, and then on the opera course at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He has been a soloist at the BBC Proms where Seen and Heard International described him as “a singer who is a bit of a discovery … his sound, diction and phrasing were perfectly judged.”

Will works in artist management supporting a roster of world-renowned opera singers and directors, and sings when he can on Sundays with some of London’s  professional church choirs. Away from the opera world Will is passionate about food; he is slowly cooking (and eating!) his way through Ottolenghi’s various cookbooks.

What Makes Great Art Great? - Jeffery Courtney, Artist

Great art lasts. It has the power to touch us, to move us deeply hundreds even thousands of years after it was created. What is this mysterious power?

Jeffery Courtney will consider this question, using examples of  architecture, sculpture, and paintings.

Jeffery Courtney trained at Hornsey College of Art and then a Postgraduate at the Royal Academy in London. Since then, he has worked full time as a professional artist working entirely in the figurative tradition. A meticulous craftsman, he has made extensive study of painting techniques, in particular the methods of the Old Masters. Jeffery has been commissioned to paint copies of work by Rembrandt, Leonardo, Botticelli & Piero della Francesca, making amazingly accurate copies. This skill and craftsmanship show up in his beautifully detailed still life paintings whilst his love of light and water are reflected in his landscapes.

Jeffery has had many one-man shows and he has exhibited at the Royal Academy, Mall Galleries, New Grafton Gallery & Patterson Galleries in London, and at the prestigious annual Art in Action Festival in Oxfordshire. He has many works in private collections.

Choral Contemplations (CD Launch Concert) at Hinde Street Church

This album brings together sacred choral works by composers united by a shared philosophical and theological outlook, offering a sequence that explores stillness, meaning, and the deeper resonance of text through music. 

Drawn together by a love of music, of philosophy, and of the Christian tradition, their approach is shaped in part by the teaching of Leon MacLaren, a self-taught polymath whose search in pursuit of life’s deeper questions informed a distinctive understanding of sound, listening, and creativity.

View the full brochure

Phoenix Consort, directed by Adam Whitmore
 
Composers featured include Peter Blumson, John-Paul Bowman, Rosemary Broadbent, David Fletcher, David Goymour, Adrian Green, Bruce Ramell, Derek Saunders, and Noel Skinner.

Developing resilience, confidence, and character in young people - Hilary Wyatt, Headteacher

Passionate about education and wellbeing, Hilary believes that children thrive when they feel happy, supported and truly known. In this talk on building resilience, confidence, and character she will share practical reflections from her experience as a teacher, school leader, and parent, exploring how children can develop emotional strength, independence, and self-belief in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Hilary Wyatt is the Headteacher of St James Prep, where she is known for her deep commitment to helping children grow into confident, kind, and resilient young people. With more than 30 years in education and extensive experience in London prep schools, Hilary brings both warmth and wisdom to her work. She holds a master’s degree in education, an NPQH qualification in school leadership, and has also worked with the Independent Schools Inspectorate since 2014.

Outside school life, Hilary is a proud mother to two remarkable daughters and a delighted grandmother to Wilfred (3) and Rosie (1), who keep her very happily entertained. She lives in Twickenham with her husband of nearly 40 years, and values family life, laughter, and finding moments of stillness amidst the busyness of everyday life.