Instrument Hire - Centre for Music Performance

How to hire, and rules

History of the booking system

What's new?

September 2026:

We are pleased to launch the University of Cambridge Instrument and Equipment Hire Service, which builds on the previous TIMPANI system, but with the following improvements:

Now using the CMP website style
More mobile-friendly interface
New navigation interface
Regrouped screens
Booking-related operations now require login (passcode system removed)
UIS/Raven and external logins added
Capacities system removed, replaced by admins and specific privilege lists
Webforms now perform full validation before submission, avoiding back-button usage
Instrument lists changed to filtering interface with new listing format
Instrument list now includes description and accessories (where data exists)
Instrument image popups no longer open in a new window
Lots more instruments (and other items) now hireable
Payments page unified to a single link, with buttons for Uni/non-Uni payments
Payments page shows button based on user status
Membership number/card no longer required or requested
Invoices now correctly reflect the price at time of booking, rather than current price (if changed)
Invoices screen unified to show all the user's invoices, with integrated payment link
Invoice visibility is now limited to their recipients (and admins), rather than obfuscating
Invoice improvements, including showing item label vs main ID more clearly
Date section now use standard browser calendar date picker
Instruments are newly associated with owners, and display is determined accordingly
Admin screens use internal tabs for filters
Admins can now directly edit prose texts
Admins can now edit instrument and other data directly
Admins can now upload new instrument photos
Various admin screens split out (e.g. repair management)
URLs no longer technology-specific
Updated help screens
Code very extensively refactored
Hosting now with UIS, with thanks to the SRCF for many years of hosting previously

History

The existence of Cambridge University Musical Society's instrument collection is mostly due to Tim Lewers, the Instrument Manager from 1996-2003. Tim did a wonderful job and turned the instrument hire side of CUMS around; it is now both economically viable, and the main Instrument Hire Service in Cambridge and East Anglia. His successor, Richard Neill took over at the start of 2004, and being a programmer, wrote TIMPANI (which stands recursively for "TIMPANI: Instrument Management Planning And Notification Infrastructure"). The logo was designed by Claire Pike. Jacob Head became Instrument Manager in February 2006. Sam Kemp has been responsible for TIMPANI since 2008. Richard Neill took over again in 2024. In October 2024, C.U.M.S. became a part of C.M.P., The Centre for Music Performance, Cambridge.

CUMS Logo

Our hirers

CMP has hired instruments to over 150 different organisations. Recent hiring members have included:

Professional and semi-professional groups

Local schools and charities

Cambridge University groups

Cambridge college choirs and music societies

Technical

Thanks are due to the many developers, including Richard Neill, former Instrument Manager, on whose freely shared work we rely.

CMP takes accessibility issues seriously. If there is anything we can do to improve the accessibility of this website, please contact us.

University of Cambridge Instrument and Musical Equipment Hire Service