Booking dates for Sheldonian Theatre 2016 concerts
Priority booking for friends and patrons opens at 11am on ? September (01865 980 980 only)
Tickets are available to buy on general sale from 11am ? September.
Sunday 24 January
TS Eliot Theatre
Merton College
Chamber Series 22
Sunday 31 January
Oxford Town Hall
FUNomusica 24
February
Saturday 13 February
Oxford Town Hall
Grand Viennese Bal 11
Sunday 14 February
Sheldonian Theatre
Valentine's Concert 12
Saturday 27 February
Sheldonian Theatre
Long Yu 13 March
Thursday 10 March
Sheldonian Theatre
Concerto Competition
Final 23
Sunday 13 March
Oxford Town Hall
FUNomusica 25
Thursday 24 March
Sheldonian Theatre
Maundy Thursday 14
April
Friday 1 April
Sheldonian Theatre
Pinchas Zukerman 15
Friday 8 April
Sheldonian Theatre
Renée Fleming 16
Saturday 23 April
Sheldonian Theatre
Nigel Kennedy 17 May
Tuesday 3 May
Randolph Sculpture Gallery, Ashmolean Museum
Chamber Series 23
Thursday 12 May
Sheldonian Theatre
#
Kyung-Wha Chung 18
Saturday 28 May
Sheldonian Theatre
Ivo Pogorelich 19
June
Sunday 5 June
Sheldonian Theatre
Maxim Vengerov 20
Monday 6 June
Barbican Centre
Maxim Vengerov 20
Thursday 16 June
Sheldonian Theatre
Sir András Schiff 21
Chamber Series Family Concert #
Pre-concert Recital
Welcome from Marios Papadopoulos, Music Director
It is with immense pride that I unveil the Orchestra’s star-studded new concert season, as we embark upon an exciting new venture under a brand new name. Chalking up the successes, ground-breaking initiatives and thrilling collaborations with some of the finest international artists, with the launch of this 2015/16 season we profile the Orchestra as the Oxford Philharmonic, reflecting the remarkable breadth and depth of our current and future activities.
Opening the season is a long-anticipated return from Michael Barenboim who continues the Orchestra’s homage to the violin with Mendelssohn’s treasured Violin Concerto. The season continues with rich treats of the violin repertory as we share the spotlight with some of the biggest soloists in the stage today, with landmark concerts by Nicola Benedetti, Vadim Repin, and of course our magnificent Artist in Residence Maxim Vengerov, who returns once more with the Brahms and Sibelius Violin Concertos, back by popular demand! The great Pinchas Zukerman, renowned worldwide as a musical phenomenon, makes his solo and conducting debuts with the Orchestra in a beautiful programme of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky romance. Those who missed out on tickets from last season’s appearances with Nigel Kennedy will be delighted to know that he too will return again in the spring, for an exciting collaboration featuring his chart-topping Four Seasons.
An array of world-class artists completes the starry smorgasbord of guest soloists, among them one of the greatest sopranos in history, Renee Fleming, performing Strauss’s heart-rending Four Last Songs. Renowned conductorpianist Sir András Schiff also returns to lead the orchestra from the platform
and the podium in Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto, and Haydn’s grand Harmoniemesse. Commemorating the 160th anniversary of the death of Robert Schumann, the Orchestra shines in his symphonic offerings, as well as the stormy Cello Concerto with Leonard Elschenbroich and the evergreen Piano Concerto with national treasure John Lill.
Alongside are chamber recitals and appearances by The Soloists of The Oxford Philharmonic, choral offerings with Oxford’s world-famous college choirs, nurturing of new talent featuring young rising stars, our annual Concerto Competition and the ever-popular FUNomusica family concerts.
This season really is a special celebration as we open the next chapter – I look forward to welcoming you.
Michael Barenboim
Wednesday 7 October
St George's Bristol, 7.30pm
Saturday 10 October
Sheldonian Theatre, 7.30pm
Tickets £20 £15
£5 for students (plus fees)
Box Office 0845 402 4001
For booking fees see page 22
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
MENDELSSOHN
Hebrides Overture, Op. 26, ‘Fingal’s Cave’
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
MOZART
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550
Michael Barenboim violin
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Mozart and Mendelssohn, two of the most prodigious musicians of all time, were separated by just eighteen years. Following Mendelssohn's turbulent evocation of Fingal's Cave, two enduring masterpieces from the autumn of their careers are performed by Oxford Philomusica. First joined by violinist Michael Barenboim for Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Marios
Papadopoulos conducts the orchestra in Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 – a magisterial work shimmering with classicism, gravitas and elegance in equal measure.
Saturday 24 October
Sheldonian Theatre, 7.30pm
Schumann Series I
SCHUMANN
Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 64
Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
John Lill piano
John Nelson conductor
Known for his aristocratic interpretations of the great masters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, John Lill CBE is arguably the nation’s best-loved pianist. In the first of two concerts celebrating the soaring romanticism of Robert Schumann, Lill returns once more to appear with the Philomusica, with the passionate, evergreen Piano Concerto inspired by Schumann's then future wife, Clara. Under the baton of renowned conductor John Nelson, the ceremonial introduction to Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 leads to vibrant contrasts between profound introspection and an irrepressible Scherzo.
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
Pre-concert Recital, 6.30pm
Young Artists' Platform
A chance to hear some of Oxfordshire's most talented young musicians. Free admission
Maxim Vengerov
Sunday 8 November
Cadogan Hall, London, 7pm
BRAHMS
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
TCHAIKOVSKY
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Maxim Vengerov violin
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Maxim Vengerov, one of the world’s most esteemed violinists and Oxford Philomusica’s Artist in Residence, performs Brahms’s towering Violin Concerto in an unmissable evening of instrumental mastery. Equally rich in orchestration and sublime melodies is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, one of the composer's best-loved symphonic creations into which he poured some of his most profound musical statements.
Tickets £40 £32.50 £25 £15
For booking fees see page 22 Box Office 020 7730 4500 www.cadoganhall.com
In memory of Sir Ronald Grierson
Saturday 14 November
Sheldonian Theatre, 7.30pm
Schumann Series II
SCHUMANN
Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Symphony No. 4 in D minor, Op. 120
Leonard Elschenbroich cello
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Leonard Elschenbroich has excited interest worldwide as one of the most charismatic cellists of his generation. Making his debut appearance with the orchestra, he shines in Schumann’s most enigmatic work the Cello Concerto in A minor, composed in a two-week flash of inspiration. The composer’s Fourth Symphony finds new breadths in a structure of overflowing borders, where the genre is transformed for a new age: unified in vision and full of Romantic fantasy.
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
? University Residency Programme Masterclass with Leonard Elschenbroich
Tickets £5. Free admission for students, contact kirsten@oxfordphil.com to reserve
Nicola Benedetti
Thursday 26 November
Cheltenham Town Hall, 7.30pm
Cheltenham
GLINKA
Ruslan and Ludmila Overture
GLAZUNOV
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82
ELGAR
Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36, 'Enigma'
Nicola Benedetti violin
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Tickets £32.50 £27.50 £15.00 £12.50
For booking fees see page 22 Box Office 0844 576 2210 www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk
Saturday 28 November
Sheldonian Theatre, 7.30pm
Oxford
PROKOFIEV
Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
ELGAR
Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36, 'Enigma'
Nicola Benedetti violin
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15 (students from £5)
Supported by Geoffrey and Caroline de Jager
Glinka’s sparkling overture to the five-act Ruslan and Ludmila sets the Cheltenham stage for violinist Nicola Benedetti, recently hailed ‘Scotland’s greatest musical export’ (The Telegraph). Here she performs a jewel from the Russian concerto repertory – Glazunov’s lyrically expressive Violin Concerto – laden with expansive melodies and an irrepressible finale.
In Oxford, Benedetti and the orchestra explore Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto – an indefinable musical fusion of soaring melodies, austerity and violinistic revelry. Elgar’s ‘Enigma’ Variations have become treasured among British audiences, with each movement showcasing the orchestral sections in a vivid characterisation of, in Elgar’s words, 'my friends pictured within'.
Saturday 12 December
Sheldonian Theatre, 7pm
Messiah
HANDEL
Messiah
Keri Fuge soprano
Martha Jones mezzo soprano
Daniel Norman tenor
Robert Davies bass
Magdalen College Choir
Daniel Hyde conductor
With the festive season upon us, the trumpet shall sound for Handel’s Messiah. This stunning portrayal of Christ’s birth and resurrection has garnered worldwide popularity ever since its first performance.
An international line-up of soloists joins the accomplished choir of Magdalen College and their conductor Daniel Hyde for this perfect start to the Christmas season, in the sublime surroundings of the Sheldonian Theatre where Handel himself conducted in 1733.
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
Please note start time.
Vadim Repin
Saturday 23 January
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
SHOSTAKOVICH
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77
MUSSORGSKY-RAVEL
Pictures At An Exhibition
Vadim Repin violin
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Siberian-born violinist Vadim Repin brings his trademark virtuosity and poetic ardour to Oxford in a stunning evocation of Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto. Outlawed by Stalinist doctrine for years after its composition, the work continues to captivate audiences with its bewitching synthesis of alluring narrative, political angst and forbidden burlesque.
Ravel’s vivid illustration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition redefines the acoustic memorial to Mussorgsky’s cherished friend Victor Hartmann. Touring Parisian catacombs, old castles and a witch’s den, Hartmann’s paintings come to life in a blaze of orchestral fervour
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15
Supported by Geoffrey and Caroline de Jager
Sunday 24 January
Faculty of Music, Denis Arnold Hall
University Residency Programme
Masterclass with Vadim Repin
?
Saturday 13 February
Oxford Town Hall, 8pm
Grand Viennese Ball
STRAUSS FAMILY
Waltzes, Polkas, Marches, Quadrille
John Georgiadis conductor
Oxford Philomusica, led by the witty and charming maestro John Georgiadis, will recreate the grandeur and glamour of the great Viennese balls of the past in Oxford’s Victorian ballroom. Dance to Viennese waltzes, polkas, marches and a quadrille from the Strauss family or, if dancing isn’t your thing, simply sit back and soak up the atmosphere of this unique occasion.
Concert and dancing 8-11.15pm – £45
Concert only 8-11.15pm – £25
Optional dance lesson 12-2pm – £5
Dress: white tie or period costume
This event is bookable only through Oxford Philomusica’s Box Office
Save 5% for groups 10+
No other concessions apply
Sunday 14 February
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
Valentine's Concert
GERSHWIN
Rhapsody in Blue
BERNSTEIN
West Side Story Suite
Echoris choir
Marios Papadopoulos piano/conductor
On Valentine’s Eve, Marios Papadopoulos performs Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, a musical kaleidoscope of America conceived amid the sweeping rhythms of a Boston-bound train. The hubbub of the New York streets will be conjured in Bernstein’s timeless score to the Broadway classic West Side Story. Swagger and jazz meet in the music to this story of love and rivalry, crowned by Bernstein’s dazzling urban soundscapes.
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
Long Yu
Saturday 27 February
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
TCHAIKOVKSY
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35
Vera Tsu violin
Long Yu conductor
Leading the development of the orchestral landscape in China, Long Yu has established an international reputation having become the first Chinese conductor to perform a televised concert at the BBC Proms in 2014. With compatriot violinist Vera Tsu, they join the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s mellifluous Violin Concerto and contemporary gems from the Chinese music scene.
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
Thursday 24 March
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
Maundy Thursday
BACH
St John Passion BWV 245
New College Choir
Robert Quinney conductor
In one of the most poignant musical settings of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Bach’s St John Passion expresses the extraordinary story with compelling foresight and empathy. The world-famous New College Choir join the Orchestra to recreate this most devout expression of Christian liturgy.
Tickets £42 £30 £20 £10
Pinchas Zukerman
Friday 1 April
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
BEETHOVEN
Romance No. 1 in G major for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 40
Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
TCHAIKOVSKY
Melodie for Violin & Orchestra
Sérénade Mélancolique in B-flat minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 26
Pinchas Zukerman violin/conductor
Pinchas Zukerman has remained a phenomenon in the world of music for over four decades. His musical genius, prodigious technique and unwavering artistic standards are a marvel to audiences and critics. In Oxford he performs violin favourites including Tchaikovsky’s verdant Sérénade mélancolique, before manning the baton in Beethoven’s First Symphony. Conceived at the dawn of the nineteenth century, the Symphony was not only the forbearer of a new age, but also of a new symphonic vision which would steer future composers for centuries to come.
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15
Renée Fleming
Friday 8 April
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
WAGNER
Overture from Tannhäuser
Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan Und Isolde
STRAUSS
Four Last Songs
Renée Fleming soprano
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry and compelling stage presence. The ebullient Overture to Wagner’s Meistersinger von Nurnberg sets the stage for the intoxicating ‘Liebestod’ from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde – a monumental statement of musical Romanticism. Poetry and music fuse sublimely in Strauss’s Four Last Songs: an apotheosis of the composer’s life and work, his last will and testament in sound.
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15
Nigel Kennedy
Saturday 23 April
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
VIVALDI
Four Seasons
NIGEL KENNEDY
The English Collection
Nigel Kennedy violin
Maverick of the violin Nigel Kennedy is back to perform Vivaldi like you’ve never heard before. Only the unexpected is guaranteed in an evening of flare and dynamic improvisation from one of the most influential violinists of our time.
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15
Kyung-Wha Chung
Thursday 12 May
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
BRUCH
Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26
SCHUMANN
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97
Kyung-Wha Chung violin
Marios Papadopoulos piano/conductor
The legend is back. Kyung Wha Chung’s intense stage presence and fiery musicianship established her as one of the foremost violinists of the twentieth century after she soared to fame on the London stage in 1970. Bolder than ever before, she returns to perform Bruch’s impassioned Violin Concerto No. 1. Overflowing with virtuosity and heartfelt sentiment in equal measure, it yields to an irrepressible finale of joy and elation. Schumann’s Third Symphony captures vividly his euphoric response to visiting the Rhineland in a work of melodic and rhythmic exuberance, set within a magisterial symphonic canvas.
Tickets
£42
£30
£20
£10
Pre-concert Recital, 6.30pm
Young Artists' Platform
A chance to hear some of Oxfordshire's most talented young musicians.
Free admission
Ivo Pogorelich
Saturday 28 May
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
C HOPIN
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21
S CHUMANN
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97, ‘Rhenish’
Ivo Pogorelich piano
In 1778, Mozart revelled in the new orchestral forces that were available to him in the French capital. A new symphony was composed to impress the Parisian tastes: vitality, grandeur and spectacle coalesced in this dynamic symphonic work that left Mozart’s audiences cheering throughout. With many varied decorations of the melodic lines throughout Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp, the angelic pairing of solo instruments abounds in Mozart’s everlasting and sparkling invention.
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15
Maxim Vengerov
Sunday 5 June
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
SIBELIUS
Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 46*
TCHAIKOVSKY
Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op. 74, ‘Pathétique’
Maxim Vengerov violin/conductor
Marios Papadopoulos conductor*
Back by popular demand, Artist in Residence
Maxim Vengerov returns with the original version Sibelius’s ethereal Violin Concerto. Ice and fire merge in the 1904 genesis of one of the most remarkable concertos of all time. Standing high at the summit of the orchestral landscape, the 'Pathétique' Symphony typifies one of Tchaikovsky’s finest achievements – ‘the best thing I ever composed or shall compose’ wrote Tchaikovsky to describe his final symphonic essay, a creation which quests profound intimacy and fathomless introspection.
Monday 6 June Barbican Centre, ?pm
www.barbican.org.uk
(Reduced booking fee online)
Sir András Schiff
Thursday 16 June
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
SCHUBERT
Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485
BEETHOVEN
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19
HAYDN
Harmoniemesse
Christ Church Cathedral Choir
Sir András Schiff piano/conductor
András Schiff is world renowned and critically acclaimed both as pianist and conductor. Here he displays his virtuosity in both pursuits, leading the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in Schubert’s breezy Symphony No. 5, before taking his seat at the keyboard for Beethoven’s uplifting Piano Concerto No. 2, stamped with both maturity and inventive vigour. Finally, joined by the celebrated Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Schiff steps once more onto the podium for Haydn’s profoundly moving 'Harmoniemesse’, rich in orchestration and heavenly vocal lines.
Tickets £50 £35 £25 £15
Chamber Series
Thursday 8 October
New College Chapel, ?pm
New College Residency Launch
BRAHMS
Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 100
BORODIN
Quartet No. 2
The Soloists of Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Natalia Lomeiko violin
The Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra are delighted to announce the launch of their New College Residency. Brahms’s 1886 Sonata for Violin and Piano was written in Switzerland while Brahms enjoyed the peaceful retreat of his summer holidays; his great friend Elisabeth von Herzogenberg perhaps summed the whole work up most succinctly, describing it simply as ‘one caress’. Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2, richly laden with melodies, was composed during a visionary summer when Borodin was not engrossed in his work as a chemist. The centrepiece Nocturne modes a soundworld of heady nostalgia and ethereal beauty.
Tickets £20
Sunday 24 January
TS Eliot Theatre, Merton College, 7.30pm (Rose Lane entrance)
Chamber Series
BEETHOVEN
Violin Sonata No.9 in A, Op. 47, ('Kreutzer')
PROKOFIEV
Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 119
BEETHOVEN
String Quartet No. 14 in C# minor, Op. 131
The Soloists of Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Natalia Lomeiko violin
Mats Lidström cello
Declared impossible to play by its dedicatee, Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata is a pinnacle of its genre, demanding both musical and technical assurance of the highest order. Similarly composed for a revered soloist, Prokofiev won over suspicious authorities with his warmly expressive Cello Sonata in 1949, a year before Rostropovich gave its premiere. Timeless in their artistic identity and architecturally revolutionary, Beethoven’s late string quartets have astounded ever since their inception – the Quartet in C Sharp Minor is a colossal musical statement that continues to transcend contemporary boundaries.
Tickets £20
(includes interval tea and biscuits)
Supported by Elizabeth and David Ure and Celia and Andrew Curran
Tuesday 3 May
Randolph Sculpture Gallery, Ashmolean Museum, ?pm
Chamber Series
SCHUBERT
String Quintet in C major, D. 956
BRAHMS
String Sextet No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 18
The Soloists of Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
A titan of the chamber genre, Schubert’s late
String Quintet redefined the limits of what a quintet could be. Symphonic in its brevity, its expansive movements portray an immense palette of emotions, centred around a sublime Adagio full of otherworldly tranquillity. The twenty-seven-year-old Brahms wrote his first String Sextet in 1860, building upon the aweinspiring vision of Schubert’s work.
Tickets £25
Concerto Competition
Thursday 10 March
Sheldonian Theatre, ?pm
Oxfordshire Youth Concerto Competition Final
John Traill conductor
Prepare to be dazzled as the three talented finalists of the Oxford Philomusica and Oxfordshire County Music Service Youth Concerto
Competition perform a concerto of their choice, in a concert to showcase and celebrate the outstanding young musical talent that flourishes in Oxfordshire. Judged by a panel of distinguished adjudicators, the competition’s winner will be announced the same evening.
Tickets £
Supported by Mike and Heather Dalgleish
FUNomusica Family Concerts
Sunday 25 October
Oxford Town Hall, 3pm
Adventures in the Magical Kingdom
FUNomusica Family Concert
Alasdair Malloy presenter
An adventure for all the family! Join presenter Alasdair Malloy and Oxford Philomusica in the Magical Kingdom, featuring ‘The Princess of the Pagodas’ from Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and a Disney singalong sequence from Frozen.
Pre-concert craft activities at 2pm
Concert most suitable for ages 4-8
Concert ends 4pm
Tickets adults £10 children £4
No concessions apply
Supported by The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
Sunday 31 Jan
Oxford Town Hall, 3pm
From Hamelin to Hogwarts
FUNomusica Family Concert Senior
Alasdair Malloy presenter
In partnership with
The Cat in the Hat, as well as hearing music inspired by the
Is everybody sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin our symphonic selection to match a library full of children's literature from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter. Join in the celebration of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Long John Silver, and The Cat in the Hat, as well as hearing music inspired by the Arabian Nights and Alice in Wonderland, before settling down to hear Alasdair recount the tale of The King's New Clothes.
Concert most suitable for ages 8-12
Concert ends 4pm
Tickets adults £10 children £4
No concessions apply
In partnership with
Sunday 13 March
Oxford Town Hall, 3pm
Bugs!
FUNomusica Family Concert
Alasdair Malloy presenter
Explorer Alasdair leads us from a jungle safari to a country meadow in search of some incredible invertebrates. We’ll hover like dragonflies, dance a tarantella with some tarantulas, hear about the ugly bug ball and experience a unique and unforgettable version of the flight of the bumble bee!
Pre-concert craft activities at 2pm Concert most suitable for ages 4-8 Concert ends 4pm
In partnership with
Tickets adults £10 children £4 No concessions apply
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Established in 1998, Oxford Philomusica occupies a unique position within the UK orchestral arena. Praised as ‘excellent’ by Gramophone Magazine and ‘thoroughly impressive’ by BBC Music Magazine, its reputation is based on the uncompromising artistic standards of its founder and Music Director, Marios Papadopoulos, and maintained by some of the finest musicians in London, Oxford and the Thames Valley.
With its home at Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre and its close association with the University of Oxford as its inaugural Orchestra in Residence, Oxford Philomusica attracts internationally acclaimed artists, many of whom engage across a range of performance, masterclass and lecture events during their visit. Recent collaborations include Sir András Schiff, Valery Gergiev, Lang Lang, Maria-João Pires, Nicola Benedetti, Menahem Pressler, Nigel Kennedy and Anne-Sophie Mutter.
There is no finer illustration of this multifaceted approach than in Maxim Vengerov who, following his remarkable Oxford debut with the orchestra in 2013, became its first Artist in Residence. Since then, Vengerov and the Philomusica have undertaken tours in the UK and have made recordings including Brahms’s Violin Concerto due for release in November 2015.
Oxford Philomusica’s many achievements to date include extensive annual concert seasons in Oxford, touring performances across the UK and a growing list of international engagements; acclaimed recordings of Haydn’s Creation with New College Choir, and the Handel/Mendelssohn Acis and Galatea with Christ Church; major anniversary celebrations of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven; hugely popular family concerts; and its annual Piano Festival and Summer Academy. An acclaimed Chamber Music Series and Summer Baroque Festival both showcase the Soloists of Oxford Philomusica – a tight-knit group of musicians described by The Times as the orchestra’s ‘glorious individual players’.
Oxford Philomusica has been firmly committed to community and education work from its earliest days. Its outreach projects focus on taking music to areas of social and economic disadvantage, including work in special schools and hospitals. As part of its University Residency, Oxford Phil collaborates with the Faculty of Music in educational programmes for the student community. Partnerships with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council provide performance and tuition opportunities for hundreds of talented young musicians. We work closely with the Oxfordshire County Music Service as part of the Arts Council funded Oxfordshire Music Education Partnership. 2013 also saw the orchestra and its Director awarded the City’s Certificate of Honour, in recognition of their contribution to education and performance in Oxford.
The continual search for excellence underpins Oxford Philomusica’s reputation, and is reflected in an orchestra that strives to create bold musical statements with every concert it presents.
In person: The Oxford Playhouse, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2LW.
Refunds and Conditions of Sale
Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged except in the case of a sold-out or cancelled concert. We reserve the right to change artists and programmes where unavoidable. We reserve the right to refuse admission.
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Booking
Dates
for Sheldonian Theatre autumn concerts
Priority booking for Friends & Patrons opens at 11am on ? September (01865 980 980 only). Tickets are available to buy on general sale from 11am on ? September.
Venue Information
Box Office
The Box Office at each venue opens for door sales and ticket collection two hours before each concert.
Opening Times
Doors open 30 minutes before the advertised concert start time and 10 minutes before a pre-concert event.
Special Requirements
If you require a wheelchair space or have specific access or seating requirements please call us on 01865 980 980 so that we can advise you on the best seating arrangements for your needs. All our venues have disabled access and facilities.
Latecomers
We will endeavour to admit latecomers when possible. Latecomers will be seated in a designated area until the interval, when they can take their allocated seat.
Unreserved Seating
Unreserved seating entitles you to a seat within your chosen area rather than a specific seat. Sponsors and those with disabilities are entitled to reserved seating, allocated at Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra's discretion.
How to Save
Discounts cannot be combined
Subscription Bookings*
Must be booked in one transaction.
Book 4 – 7 concerts and save 10%.
Book 8 – 11 concerts and save 20%.
Book 12+ concerts and save 30%.
Group Bookings*
Book 10+ tickets for one concert and save 15%.
Book 25+ tickets for one concert and save 25%.
Friends Discount*
Join our Friends Scheme and save at least 15% see page 25.
Concessions
Full-time students and unemployment benefit claimants save £5 on full-price tickets. Special price £5 Upper Gallery tickets for the Nicola Benedetti concert on 28 November for full-time students.
Under 18s, registered disabled and wheelchair users with one companion save 50%.
* Only available through Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra’s Box Office on 01865 980 980. Subject to availability.
Sheldonian Theatre Seating Plan
Chairs (unreserved) and first row of Semi-Circle
Lower Gallery and last row of Semi-Circle (cushioned benches with back rest)
Semi-Circle
(cushioned benches, no back rest)
Area Balcony (Choir Stalls)
(unreserved, cushioned benches, no back rest)
Upper Gallery (unreserved, wooden benches, no back rest)
The Sheldonian Theatre was constructed between 1664 and 1669, and is a Grade I listed building. Please note that there are no lift facilities and that the majority of seats are benches, some without back rests. If you have any access requirements or questions about seating, please contact the Box Office on 01865 980 980.
Venues
Ashmolean Museum
Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH
Barbican Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Box Office
020 7638 8891
Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
Box Office 020 7730 4500
Cheltenham Town Hall
Imperial Square, Cheltenham GL50 1QA
Box Office
0844 576 2210
TS Eliot Theatre, Merton College
Rose Lane, Oxford OX1 4DT
New College Chapel
Holywell St, Oxford OX1 3BN
Box Office 01865 305 305
Oxford Town Hall
St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1BX
Sheldonian Theatre
Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ
St George’s Bristol Great George Street, off Park Street, Bristol BS1 5RR Box Office 0845 402 4001
Concerts on Tour
Booking Fees
Barbican, London
Performing arts: £3 online, £4 by phone. Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply.
Bristol
Card transaction fee £1 (per transaction).
Administration fee £1 (per transaction).
Postage fee 70p.
Cheltenham Town Hall
Online and telephone bookings: £1.50 transaction fee per booking. Postage fee: £1.25 or collect from the Box Office.
Cadogan Hall
All orders will be subject to a booking fee of £3.
Support Us
There are numerous ways to support Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra to help us continue to deliver our world-class concerts and award-winning educational and outreach work. We could not do any of this without your generous support: be part of the musical world of a great orchestra and help secure its future. Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is a registered UK charity (no. 1084256), and so all donations attract Gift Aid where applicable.
Become a Friend or Patron
We offer Friends and Patrons memberships from £40. Benefits include priority booking, ticket discounts, interval drinks and special members’ events.
Corporate Partnership
Sponsor a community project, an orchestral player or a soloist, and your business could enjoy exclusive entertaining opportunities, enhanced brand visibility, digital activation and social investment.
Concert Sponsorship
Support a concert on tour or in the splendour of Oxford’s finest venues with a post-concert reception ideal for entertaining friends and family, clients and staff.
Make a Donation
Contribute to Oxford Philomusica by making a donation. As a UK tax payer we are able to add 25% to your donation through Gift Aid. If you are a US national, tax-exempt gifts can be made through the 501(c)3 charity, Americans for Oxford.
Give the Gift of a Lifetime
Leaving a gift to Oxford Philomusica in your will is a wonderful way to help secure our future, so that we can keep presenting the music you love for generations to come.
For further information please contact Kirsten Dunn on 01865 987 222 or kirsten@oxfordphil.com
Sponsors and Benefactors
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Trust (charity no. 1084256) acknowledges with deep gratitude the financial contribution made over the last twelve months by the following:
Platinum Benefactors
Robert & Anne Bass, Geoffrey & Caroline de Jager, Prof Raymond & Sandra Dwek, Fondation Hoffman, A G Leventis Foundation, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, Zvi & Ofra Meitar Family Fund, The Monument Trust, Georg & Emily von Opel Foundation, Simon & Alison Ryde, Kim Samuel, Garfield Weston Foundation
Gold Benefactors
Alpenglow Trust, The Sir Victor Blank Charitable Settlement, Andrew & Celia Curran, Peter Earl, Dr Peter & Jessica Frankopan, James & Fitriani Hay, Dr Pierre Keller, LGT Group Vaduz, Aloke & Suchita Lohia, Dr Michael Peagram, Sir Simon Robertson, Abdullah Mohammed Saleh, Urs & Francesca Schwarzenbach, The Staples Trust, Sir Howard & Lady Stringer, Blaine & Laura Tomlinson, Andrey & Natalia Yakunin
Principal Benefactors
Raymond Blanc OBE, Kamel Alzarka. Jaime Carvajal, Michael & Heather Dalgleish, Ian Lenagan, Michael Marks Charitable Trust, The Sackler Trust, Charles Shaw, Lord & Lady Weidenfeld, Tolkien Trust, Sir Siegmund Warburg's Voluntary Settlement
Benefactors
Jon & Julia Aisbitt, Elena Ambrosiadou, Saphieh Ashtiany, Dr John & Baroness Ruth Deech, D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Lord & Lady Faringdon, Lady Horton, Banque Hottinguer Board Member, IKOS, James & Dr Shirley Sherwood, Dr Charles Simonyi, The Patsy Wood Trust, George Tsavliris
Principal Donors
Aird Charitable Trust, Stephen Barclay, Mark Barrett, Michael Beloff QC, Rodolfo Bogni, Count & Countess Tiberto R. Brandolini d’Adda, Sue Butcher, Amaryllis Fleming Foundation, The Follett Trust, Baron Jean-Louis & Baroness de Gunzburg, Robert & Caroline
Jackson, Sir David & Lady Keene, Sir Ralph Kohn FRS, Mr & Mrs
John Leighfield, Scott & Clare McGlashan, Brian & Emma Menell, Acis & Aleca Montanios, Paul & Marlene Oberschneider, Oxford City Council, Derek & Muriel Pilkington, Sir Adrian & Lady Judith Swire, David & Elizabeth Ure, Colin & Suzy Webster OBE, Mary Weston, Lord Leonard & Lady Estelle Wolfson Foundation, Lord & Lady Younger
Corporate Members
Blake Morgan, Bradford Securities, Four Pillars Hotels
Donors & Patrons
Cecilia Akerman Kressner, John & Hilary Bach, Rev Charlotte Bannister-Parker, John & Roseann Beddington, Sir Win & Lady
Bischoff, John & Chris Caunt, Anthony Cooper, Charles & Gisela Cooper, Mr & Mrs Shamus Donald, Sir Malcolm & Lady Green, Sir Claude Hankes KCVO, Victoria Harper, David & Sue Jackson, Michael & Sylvia Jay, Prof Martin Kemp, Michael & Dr Joyce Leech, David & Kaye Lillycrop, Mr & Mrs Michael Livingston, Anthony Loehnis, Dagmar Lowe, Mark and Dr Jill Pellew, Sir Brian & Lady Pomeroy, The R K Charitable Trust, The Rayne Trust, Alun & Hilary
Reid Evans, The Roundton Trust, Blake R Samuels, Tim Suter & Dame Helen Alexander, Jeremy Taylor, Sam & Suzanne Webber, Pierre & Dr Yvonne Winkler, & donors who prefer to remain anonymous
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is a member of the Association of British Orchestras.
This brochure is published by Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd. Information is correct at time of going to press (September 2015).
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd reserves the right to change the date, time, artist, programme or venue of any event where unavoidable.
Brochure design by Larisa Afric. Photography credits: Daniel Herendi, Brendon Fraser, Sheila Rock, Barbara Klemm, Vincent Garnier, Indiana University, Felix Broede, Janine Escher, Birgitta Kowsky, Sumita Menon, Rupert Jefferson, William Unwin.
The University of Oxford logo is the registered trademark of the University of Oxford. Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is licensed to use the mark in the branding of events in the United Kingdom. Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Trust is a registered charity which is not part of the University of Oxford.
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Patron
HRH Princess Alexandra
Life Presidents
Geoffrey de Jager
Harry Leventis
Mary Weston
Honorary President
The Rt Hon Lord Patten CH
Vice President
Sir Victor Blank
Patron
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Artist in Residence
Maxim Vengerov
Piano Festival Patron
Alfred Brendel KBE
Piano Festival President
Sir András Schiff
Patron for New Music
Marina, Lady Marks
Music Director
Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Trust
Registered Charity Number 1084256
Peter Earl (Chairman)
Geoffrey de Jager (Deputy Chairman)
Elena Ambrosiadou
Saphieh Ashtiany
Raymond Blanc OBE
Prof Michael Earl
Peter Frankopan
Jacob Grierson
David Haenlein
Sir David Keene
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Aviad Meitar
Sir Michael Parkinson CBE
Sir Curtis Price
Kim Samuel
Francesca Schwarzenbach
James Sherwood
Richard Smethurst
George Tsavliris
Georg von Opel
Bruno Wang
Advisory Council
Saphieh Ashtiany (Chair)
Prof Roger Ainsworth
Nicola Blackwood MP
Baroness Deech
Prof Raymond Dwek CBE
Prof Michael Earl
Joanna Foster CBE
Peggotty Graham
Jeff Hewitt
Robert Jackson
Lady Kenny
Lord Krebs
Felicity Lusk
Lady North
Dr Jill Pellew
Cllr Bob Price
Sir Ivor Roberts
Prof Peter Tufano
Suzy Webster
Finance and General
Purposes Committee
Prof Michael Earl (Chairman)
Geoffrey de Jager
David Haenlein
Jeff Hewitt
Anthony Loehnis
Richard Smethurst
Honorary Members
Lord Butler of Brockwell
Sir Jeremy Greenstock
Lady Heseltine
John Leighfield CBE
Dr Michael Peagram
Anthony Smith CBE
Prof Reinhard Strohm
Oxford Philomusica
Productions Ltd
Company Number 3592323
Directors
Peter Earl
David Haenlein
Anthi Papadopoulos
Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Administration
CONCERTS
Orchestral Personnel ?
Planning
Helen Ecclestone
Logistics
Sumita Menon
Stage Management
Max Howard
DEVELOPMENT
Special Advisor
Carmen Zgouras
Research & Administration ?
MARKETING/EVENTS
Director
Anthi Papadopoulos
Marketing
John Bowker
Box Office/Events
Kirsten Dunn
Press and PR
Nicky Thomas Media
Advisor
Simon Wall
EDUCATION/COMMUNITY
Director
David Haenlein Coordinator ?
County Music Partnership
Kirsten Dunn
PIANO FESTIVAL Coordinator ? PRODUCTION
Design/Office Supervisor
Larisa Afric Media
Simon Wall
Librarian
Martin Sargeson
Contact us
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is pleased to work exclusively with International Classical Artists Ltd on its UK and overseas touring programme. www.oxfordphil.com
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Egrove Park, Oxford OX1 5NY 01865 987 222 info@oxfordphil.com
