Wherever you do it, performance is proven to have benefits that last long after the final chord has rung out.

Comedian Alice Fraser (Sidney Sussex 2007) adapted to a newfound independence with opera, love songs and a turn on the banjo.

Is there any thrill like the thrill of musical theatre? We don’t think so. We talk to eight prominent Cambridge alumni about why musical theatre exerts a hold that just won’t let go.

The 21-year-old Kit Hesketh-Harvey (Clare 1975) used his outlandish experiences as a Cambridge choral scholar to plot his course through a life in music.

Folk musician John Spiers (King’s 1994) got his first melodeon as a second year but didn’t learn how to get a crowd on its feet until DJ-ing in King’s bar.

Jennifer Johnston (Caius 1995) can trace the start of her award-winning career back to a chance performance.

For internet sensations Ben and Danielle Marsh (both History, Downing 1995) and their four children lockdown won’t stop the music.

For 20 years, the Cambridge University Tape Recording Society preserved music for posterity – and, in the process, revolutionised recording technology forever.