Stephen Farrant (1956)

Mr Stephen Farrant (1956)

25/07/1935 to 27/12/2024

Stephen was the most generous benefactor to arts and music at Queens’ in the modern history of the College. Having come up from Kelly College, much of his time as an English student was spent with the Bats theatre group and listening to classical and choral music.

After graduating, he was on his way to Japan when he met his future wife in Athens and, thus, “successfully failed to leave the country” as he saw it. He married Aliki Vatikioti (1931-2004) who was a renowned concert pianist. He spent working life as a journalist including a stint as managing director of Naftiliaki, a Greek shipping magazine.

Stephen worked closely with Queens’ to create endowments for the Aliki Vatikioti Senior Organ Scholarship; for MagSoc (The Farrant Fund); for Bats (The Joanna Scanlan Fund), for Friends of Queens’ Music; and for the Arts Society (The Mary Beale Fund). These benefactions were made through The Friends of Aliki Vatikioti for Music & the Arts, a cultural foundation set up in memory of his wife. Stephen also funded scholarships for postgraduate students in Music, as well as providing money to support the post of Director of Studies in Music and the lighting project in Chapel.

The Governing Body elected Stephen to a Fellow Benefactorship.

He took great delight in hearing about the progress of music and the arts at College, supported by these funds. He met with various alumni and Fellows of Queens’ as they passed through Greece, including the President, Dr Mohamed El-Erian (1977).

The Chapel Choir toured Greece in 2018 and Stephen attended a couple of the concerts. At the end of every piece, he turned to me and simply said “this is marvellous!”

– Rowan Kitt, Fellow