Somerville College is delighted to share news of a recent colloquium and concert honouring our Fellow and Tutor in German, Professor Almut Suerbaum. Held over the weekend of February 21st -22nd in Freiburg, Germany, the event brought together leading academics and musicians to celebrate Professor Suerbaum’s distinguished career and contributions to medieval studies.
The colloquium, titled ‘Multivocality and Responsiveness: Medieval Literature in Dialogue,’ featured a lecture on posthumanism, discussions on medieval literature and music, and a panel focused on academic practices. The event provided a platform for scholars to engage with Almut Suerbaum’s work and explore new perspectives on medieval texts. Keynote-lecturers were Somerville Senior Research Fellow Manuele Gragnolati and our Italian Fellow Francesca Southerden. Flowers and champagne were provided by another Somervillian who studied with Almut Suerbaum, Jennifer Juillard-Maniece.
Attendees of the colloquium
The colloquium was organized by Somervillians Prof. Dr. Racha Kirakosian (Freiburg) and Dr. Linus Ubl (Jerusalem), both former students of Professor Suerbaum. It was held in conjunction with the publication of a Festschrift, titled Multivocality and Responsiveness: Medieval Literature in Dialogue: Essays by Almut Suerbaum in Context, featuring a selection of Almut Suerbaum’s essays and contributions from leading scholars in the field, each responding to and building upon her work. The forthcoming volume is co-funded by Somerville College and the University of Freiburg.
The weekend’s events also included a concert at the Benedictine nunnery Kloster St. Lioba, featuring the New York-based ensemble Theotokos with founder Doug Balliett and guest musician leiken. The concert, titled ‘Medieval Miracles,’ showcased the music of Hermannus Contractus (1013-1054), a renowned medieval composer and scholar. The performance centred on Hermannus’ Historia Sancti Magni, a musical rendering of the life of Saint Magnus, a local saint known for his miracles and interactions with animals.
(L-R) Manuele Gragnolati, Racha Kirakosian, Almut Suerbaum, Linus Ubl, and Francesca Southerden
The concert was a fitting tribute to Professor Suerbaum’s own work on medieval music and literature. It provided a unique opportunity for attendees to experience the rich cultural heritage of the Middle Ages through the power of music.
The colloquium and concert were made possible by the generous support of several organizations, including the University of Freiburg, the Freiburg-based Erzbischof Hermann Stiftung, the Carl-Schurz-Haus in Freiburg, and the Martin-Buber-Society. Somerville College congratulates Professor Suerbaum on this well-deserved recognition and thanks the organisers for creating such a memorable event.