Oxford International Song Festival 2023

EXPLORE SOME STRANDS OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL

ARTISTIC MANUSCRIPTS

Since the earliest notations of music, manuscripts have also been artworks. From stunningly ornate medieval partbooks to contemporary graphic scores, this is a key meeting point for art, poetry and music. Look out for music by Hildegard of Bingen, Felix Mendelssohn’s beautiful illustration of his own manuscript, and the musical scores of artist Tom Phillips RA.

OXFORD PARTNERSHIPS

We work closely with the Ashmolean Museum on a day inspired by their Colour Revolution exhibition (opens 21 September), as well as a lecture on Käthe Kollwitz. The Bodleian Libraries show Mendelssohn’s magnificent ‘Schilflied’ and host an exploration of Persian art and poetry. We visit St Catherine’s College as part of the Tom Phillips day, and other special locations include the medieval crypt at St Edmund Hall and the magnificent Upper Library of The Queen’s College, our Partner College this year. 2

SCHUBERT WEEKEND

Our central weekend is dedicated to Franz Schubert, as part of a long-term countdown to his bicentenary in 2028. Pianist-scholar Graham Johnson takes an in-depth look at Schubert’s life in 1823, we make our first foray into dance with a choreographed version of Winterreise, and the Schubert-based folk-rock band The Erlkings make a much-anticipated return. 40

NEW MUSIC

A major new song cycle by Alex Ho, our Associate Composer, with writer Elayce Ismail is one of five world premieres at the Festival. From Lotte Betts-Dean’s Voice Electric to Tom Phillips to Olivia Vermeulen's late-night programme Hello Darkness, many programmes feature the music of living composers.

Selected Events:

Sholto Kynoch Artistic Director

Welcome to the Oxford International Song Festival! It is our 22nd festival, but the first under this new name, as we make the change from Oxford Lieder Festival. If you’ve been coming for years, you will see that in many ways little has changed: as well as the great works of Schubert and Schumann, we have a huge breadth of music spanning centuries and in multiple languages, and it is this breadth that is better reflected in our new identity. If you’re new to the Festival, I hope you’ll find much in these pages to intrigue and inspire. Our celebratory and welcoming spirit is brighter than ever!

This year’s thrilling theme aligns the visual arts with poetry and music in a wide variety of ways. I feel that there is truly something here for everyone, whichever aspect of the arts most draws you in. Alongside a roster of world-renowned singers and pianists, you will find colour, fashion, musical manuscripts that are themselves artworks, artist-poets, artist-composers, programmes inspired by artworks, and opportunities to create musically inspired art. We also make our first foray into dance; feature five world premieres, including a new song cycle fusing Iranian and European classical styles; welcome an astonishing jazz pianist and a Schubertinspired band; and much more besides.

My sincerest thanks as always to the individuals, trusts, foundations and businesses who support the Festival and our work throughout the year. Not only our core artistic programme, but our work in local primary schools, our Young Artist Programme, Mastercourse and general support of early-career musicians would all be impossible without this generosity and shared vision. If you’d like to find out more about this, please see p38 and do get in touch.

YOUR FESTIVAL VISIT

See p40 for details of Festival Passes, special discounts, and our new ‘Oxford Song Bus’ initiative for those visiting from outside the city.

I am already counting down the days to the Festival, and look forward to seeing you there and celebrating the vital and varied world of song in all its glorious guises.

WATCH OUT FOR...

SOME OF THE INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ARTISTS APPEARING AT THIS YEAR'S FESTIVAL

FRIDAY 13 OCTOBER

An opportunity to create your own art in response to songs; an exploration of Persian poetry, art and music, with a world premiere; and an opening-night concert with two of the world’s great musicians.

1 SONG CONNECTIONS

QUIET MUSIC: A DRAW-ALONG

11.30am–12.30pm / Holywell Music Room £14

Bethany Horak-Hallett mezzo-soprano

Natalie Burch piano

Julia Thaxton artist

You are warmly invited to take part in the first event of this year’s Festival! Bring your sketchpad and enjoy drawing the artists or creating a free response to the music, or simply come and listen to some beautiful, reflective music from Hildegard of Bingen, Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann, Nico Muhly and more, performed by two rising stars of the song world.

2 SONG CONNECTIONS

CLASSICAL MOTIFS

2pm–3pm £8

Weston Library Lecture Theatre

Dominic Parviz Brookshaw speaker

Francesca Leoni speaker

Laudan Nooshin speaker

Philip Ross Bullock moderator

Iranian/Persian culture has long fascinated and inspired poets and musicians in Europe. This conversation between Dominic Parviz Brookshaw (Professor of Persian Literature and Iranian Culture at Wadham College), Francesca Leoni (Curator of Islamic Art at the Ashmolean Museum) and Laudan Nooshin (Professor of Music at City University) explores recurring themes in Persian art, poetry and music from the 14th century onwards, and examines where these intersect with the western song canon.

Francesca Leoni will guide people towards relevant highlights of the Ashmolean Museum collection, which you are encouraged to visit between Events 2 and 3.

BETHANY HORAK-HALLETT

Iranian glazed ceramic tile work, from the ceiling of the Tomb of Hafez in Shiraz, Iran

3 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT THE PHOENIX

5pm–6pm

Holywell Music Room

Soraya Mafi soprano

James Atkinson baritone

Vahid Taremi shurangiz

Farshad Saremi kamancheh

Sholto Kynoch piano

4 OPENING-NIGHT CONCERT SONGS OF A WAYFARER

£16

7.30pm–9pm / Sheldonian Theatre

Dame Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano

Dame Imogen Cooper piano

Emerging Artists:

Guy Elliott tenor

Hamish Brown piano

£44/£33/£22/£11

Generously supported by Sir Martin & Lady Elise Smith

The Phoenix is a radiant new song cycle by Iranian composer Mahdis Golzar Kashani. Originally commissioned in 2020 by Heidelberger Frühling in partnership with Oxford International Song Festival, it is finally receiving its post-pandemic world premiere. Inspired by Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte and following a loosely similar structure, it sets poems by Hafez, Rumi and Saadi, bringing together European and Iranian classical styles, and including improvisations on two traditional Persian instruments, the shurangiz and the kamancheh.

A truly thrilling opening-night concert for this year’s Festival, with two of the world’s best-known artists: Dame Sarah Connolly and Dame Imogen Cooper. They perform songs by Robert Schumann, Carl Loewe and Henri Duparc, before concluding with Mahler’s richly evocative Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (‘Songs of a Wayfarer’).

Tonight’s concert begins with a 15-minute Emerging Artist performance, showcasing the very best of the next generation. Tonight, Guy Elliott and Hamish Brown perform Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte (see Event 3).

SUPPORTERS’ RECEPTIONS

Members of our Schubert Circle and Friends of Oxford Song enjoy special receptions before and after this evening’s concert. To find out more about the benefits of being a supporter, and the vital contribution this makes, see p38.

DAME IMOGEN COOPER SORAYA MAFI

DAME SARAH CONNOLLY

SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER

Fashion meets song with a homage to Yves Saint Laurent, a costumed recital inspired by 1920s Berlin, and an inspired pairing of French songs and perfumes. Benjamin Appl concludes the day with songs from his new album, Forbidden Fruit.

6 SONG CONNECTIONS WEIMAR: SEX & GENDER

1.45pm–2.15pm

Jacqueline du Pré Music Building

FREE with Event 7 ticket

Stefano Evangelista speaker

Ahead of Event 7, Stefano Evangelista sets the scene with an exploration of sexual freedom and gender roles in the Weimar Republic, with particular reference to visual culture and the works of Jeanne Mammen, George Grosz and others.

7 AFTERNOON CONCERT SHE REPRESENTS

2.30pm–3.30pm

Jacqueline du Pré Music Building

Jeanne Mammen: She Represents, 1928

5 MORNING CONCERT YVES SAINT LAURENT

11am–12.15pm / Jacqueline du Pré Music Building £16

James Way tenor / Natalie Burch piano

Samantha Rodulfo dancer

Presented in association with the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Marrakech

‘If I wasn’t a couturier, I would probably have devoted myself to the theatre.’ Yves Saint Laurent, or YSL, was one of the most celebrated designers of the last century, and this recital brings to life his love of theatre and his glittering influence on the Parisian stage. We welcome back James Way (‘a consistent scene stealer’

The New York Times) and Natalie Burch, with dancer Samantha Rodulfo, for a homage that includes ballet-inspired songs from Offenbach to Mahler, via new arrangements of the cult singersongwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Images of YSL’s costume sketches are provided by the Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Marrakech.

Rowan Hellier mezzo-soprano

Jonathan Ware piano

£16

What to expect Inspired by the art of the New Objectivity in 1920s Germany, She Represents (the title of a 1928 watercolour by Jeanne Mammen) is a costumed lieder recital exploring female expression and definition of self. Songs by Rita Strohl, Kurt Weill, Ethel Smyth and others are augmented by costumes based on artworks by Mammen and Otto Dix, created by renowned Chilean designer Rebekka Dornhege Reyes.

The Artists The Guardian wrote that, in her 2020 Festival recital, Rowan Hellier ‘captivated… with wit, aplomb and a consistently velvety tone’. The acclaimed American pianist Jonathan Ware has ‘a clear sense of dramatic purpose’ and ‘unrivalled keyboard finesse’ (Musical America Worldwide).

8 AFTERNOON CONCERT PARFUMS ET PAROLES

5.15pm–6.15pm £16

Holywell Music Room

Freya Holliman soprano

Neil Balfour baritone

Jo Ramadan piano

This fascinating recital sees a pairing of French song with perfumes by Master Perfumer Christian Provenzano. During the course of the concert, the audience will take in four scents from Provenzano’s world-famous Universal Collection, each with a selection of songs carefully chosen by a trio of musicians with a passion for perfume.

Neil Balfour gave a memorable recital earlier this year in our Song at Wolfson series, and has worked closely with Christian Provenzano. He is joined by rising-star soprano Freya Holliman and pianist and conductor Jo Ramadan.

9 EVENING CONCERT FORBIDDEN FRUIT

7.45pm–9pm / Holywell Music Room £32

Benjamin Appl baritone

Sholto Kynoch piano

The Music The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, with its irresistible temptation to disobey, has long been a symbol for people’s illicit desires. This programme, taken from Benjamin Appl’s new album, takes us from simple folk songs to the lieder of Schumann and Wolf, to Impressionists such as Debussy and Poulenc, and back to New Objectivity (see Event 7) via Weill and Eisler, all exploring the blurred lines of forbidden desires and sinful pleasures.

The Artists Benjamin Appl is one of today’s most exciting singers, whose performances never fail to captivate. His voice has ‘an almost infinite range of colours’ (Süddeutsche Zeitung) and ‘singing is his most natural mode of expression’ (BBC Music Magazine). For this concert, he is joined by our Artistic Director, the pianist Sholto Kynoch.

BENJAMIN APPL

SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER

A chance to see inside one of Oxford’s most beautiful colleges, with music ranging across 400 years and celebrating William Byrd and Shakespeare, plus a response-in-song to an iconic 20th-century painting, Guernica

11 LUNCHTIME CONCERT A BAROQUE VISION

12pm–1pm £16

The Queen’s College Upper Library

Clara Orif soprano

Christopher Bucknall harpsichord

Nicholas Cronk speaker

10 SONG CONNECTIONS A CHAPEL TOUR

10i 11am–11.30am 10ii 1.30pm–2pm £6

The Queen’s College Chapel

Led by Owen Rees

An opportunity to see the stunning chapel of The Queen’s College up close, as well as the Hawksmoor-designed Front Quad and Dining Hall. The chapel was rebuilt in 1719 but retains some of its medieval windows and a wealth of beautiful details. The tour will include a short performance to showcase the magnificent Frobenius organ, given by organ scholar Luke Mitchell.

This tour will run twice, just before and just after the lunchtime concert (Event 11).

This lunchtime concert features a selection of Baroque-era songs, including works by Purcell and Charpentier. We also explore the Choix de Chansons, a luxury songbook by Jean-Benjamin Laborde, as part of our focus on musical scores as artworks. These little-known but extremely attractive songs were published in an elaborately bound and richly illustrated edition in 1773. This lecture-recital takes place in the Upper Library, the architectural ‘jewel in the crown’ of The Queen’s College.

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE

We are delighted to work with The Queen’s College as our 2023 partner college. All events at Queen’s today and across the Festival are presented in association with the College, with thanks to the Provost and Fellows.

THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE CHAPEL

Jean-Benjamin Laborde: songbook Choix de Chansons, 1773

12 SONG CONNECTIONS PICASSO’S GUERNICA

3.30pm–4pm

Holywell Music Room

FREE with Event 13 ticket

Alexander Massouras speaker

Ahead of Event 13, the artist and writer

Alexander Massouras introduces Picasso’s Guernica, placing it in its historical and artistic context, and examining its status as an iconic antiwar painting.

13 AFTERNOON CONCERT POET OF FREEDOM

4.30pm–5.30pm £16

Holywell Music Room

Theodore Platt baritone

Keval Shah piano

When Picasso’s anti-war painting Guernica was first exhibited at the 1937 Paris Exposition, it was accompanied by a poem by Paul Éluard, also produced in response to the Fascist bombing of the Basque town of Guernica. Éluard became known as the ‘Poet of Freedom’ during the Second World War. This programme features songs connected to the tragedy of Guernica, settings of Éluard and, more widely, songs and poetry composed in response to conflict: anti-war songs, protest songs, and songs of freedom. We welcome back rising-star baritone Theodore Platt and former Oxford Song Young Artist

Keval Shah, now Lecturer in Lieder at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

14 EVENING CONCERT A 400TH-BIRTHDAY PARTY

7.30pm–9.30pm

The Queen’s College Chapel and Dining Hall

£37 (incl. cheese and wine)

The Choir of The Queen’s College

Owen Rees director

Nicholas Mulroy tenor

Toby Carr lute

Generously supported by Stephen Page & Anthea Morland

What to expect An uplifting evening of lute songs and choral works, celebrating the 400th anniversaries of both William Byrd and the Shakespeare First Folio held by The Queen’s College. The first part of the evening will take place in the College Chapel, with the glorious polyphony of William Byrd and songs by his contemporaries, before we move to the College Hall for exuberant Shakespeare settings, with wine and cheese on the tables and the choir singing from the gallery.

The Artists Tenor Nicholas Mulroy is widely admired for the breadth and insight of his performances. ‘The sheer expressivity of his singing was a thing of wonder’ (The Times). He’s joined by the exceptional lutenist Toby Carr, and The Choir of The Queen’s College, one of Oxford’s finest ensembles, directed by Owen Rees.

THEODORE PLATT KEVAL SHAH

MONDAY 16 OCTOBER

Beautiful autumn colours with SongPath, a world premiere alongside a classic masterpiece, Russian images and the Rachmaninoff anniversary, and an evening where art, poetry and music intertwine.

16 LUNCHTIME CONCERT A LYRICAL INTERLUDE

1pm–2pm £17

Holywell Music Room

Helen Charlston mezzo-soprano

Sholto Kynoch piano

15 SONG CONNECTIONS SONGPATH

10am–12pm / Harcourt Arboretum £16

Led by Jess Dandy and Joanna Harries

Presented in association with: Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum; the Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford; and the Humanities Cultural Programme Everything is Connected season

SongPath is a unique blend of nature, music and wellbeing, now established as an essential, uplifting element of the Festival. This year, for the first time, we head to the magical Harcourt Arboretum, one of the UK’s most important woodland areas, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Walk among the trees, experience great music, conversation and a closeness to the healing power of nature, led by singers and SongPath founders Jess Dandy and Joanna Harries, joined by guest musicians.

See website for details on travelling to the Arboretum.

The Music Schumann’s Dichterliebe (‘Poet’s Love’) is an astonishing cycle, written as part of the composer’s great outpouring of song in 1840, setting poems from Heinrich Heine’s collection Lyrisches Intermezzo. Other poems from Heine’s seminal work are heard in settings by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Carl Loewe and Josephine Lang, alongside the world premiere of a new work by Héloïse Werner, one of the most exciting new voices in classical music, which has been commissioned by the BBC.

The Artists Helen Charlston is a BBC New Generation Artist, a former Rising Star of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and winner of BBC Music Magazine’s Vocal Award. Together with Sholto Kynoch, pianist and Artistic Director of Oxford International Song Festival, recent recitals have included Wigmore Hall and Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.

HELEN CHARLSTON

Isaac Levitan: Spring. High Waters, 1897

17 SONG CONNECTIONS HOW FAIR THIS SPOT

3pm–4pm

The Queen’s College: The Shulman Auditorium

Oksana Lepska soprano

Rustam Khanmurzin piano

Philip Ross Bullock speaker

£12

Marking Rachmaninoff’s 150th anniversary, this illustrated talk takes its inspiration from the title of one of the composer’s loveliest songs. Philip Ross Bullock traces Rachmaninoff’s relationship with the Russian countryside as expressed through poetry and music.

18 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

5.15pm–6.15pm

Holywell Music Room

Roman Kosyakov piano

19 EVENING CONCERT THE PAINTER’S WORK

7.45pm–9.15pm / Holywell Music Room

Christopher Maltman baritone

Audrey Saint-Gil piano

Emerging Artists:

Marina Tsaroucha soprano

Frasier Hickland piano

Generously supported by the Kowitz Family Foundation

£32

£13

Continuing an afternoon of Russian images and landscapes, we hear Mussorgsky’s evergreen Pictures at an Exhibition in its original version for piano: ten musical depictions of paintings by the composer’s artist friend Viktor Hartmann. Virtuoso pianist Roman Kosyakov won First Prize and the Orchestra Prize at the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition. He also includes a selection of Rachmaninoff’s Études Tableaux, ‘study pictures’ that were also inspired by paintings, although Rachmaninoff did not disclose the specific inspiration for most of them!

The Music Three groups of songs in this wonderful programme are closely linked to specific artists. Poulenc’s 1957 song cycle Le Travail du peintre (‘The painter’s work’) is a series of homages to artists including Picasso, Chagall and Klee, setting poems by the composer’s friend Paul Éluard. Hugo Wolf’s three settings of texts by the poet and sculptor Michelangelo are among the composer’s masterpieces, austere but profound. And Schumann’s ‘Six Poems from the Songbook of a Painter’ set texts by the poet-artist Robert Reinick. Also included are a group of Verlaine poems, set to music by Poldowksi.

The Artists World-renowned baritone Christopher Maltman returns to the Festival fresh from singing the role of Wotan in Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House. He is joined by the conductor and pianist Audrey Saint-Gil: the duo have given acclaimed recitals around Europe and the US, including a sensational closing concert at the 2021 Festival.

CHRISTOPHER MALTMAN

TUESDAY 17 OCTOBER

Across three of today’s events we celebrate the life and work of artist, musician and writer Tom Phillips RA (1937–2022). His extraordinarily broad output included painting, sculpture and tapestries, as well as poetry and music. He was Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University, and many of his papers and works reside in the Bodleian Libraries and Ashmolean Museum.

20 LUNCHTIME CONCERT CONCERTO GROSSO

1pm–2pm / Holywell Music Room £16

Lotte Betts-Dean mezzo-soprano

Joanna MacGregor piano

Samuel West reader

What to expect Music by Tom Phillips, including his own graphic scores; music that inspired his artworks, including pieces by Satie and Cage; and music that he loved, including songs by Schubert and Schumann.

The Artists This fascinating programme will be performed by the brilliant mezzo-soprano Lotte BettsDean, a former Oxford Song Young Artist, and Joanna MacGregor, one of the pre-eminent pianists of today and particularly acclaimed for her insightful performances of contemporary music. Well-known actor Samuel West joins them to read extracts of Tom Phillips’ writings.

21 SONG CONNECTIONS A RICH TAPESTRY

3pm–4.15pm £12 (incl. tea/coffee) St Catherine’s College

Presented in association with St Catherine’s College

Tom Phillips was an alumnus of St Catherine’s College and created three huge and spectacular tapestries that hang in the College dining hall. This afternoon is an opportunity to see these tapestries up close, and the College will display Phillips’ sketches for them as well as a number of other works loaned for today, during a special guided tour.

Please meet at the Porters’ Lodge at 3pm. Tea and coffee will be served at the end of the tour.

Tom Phillips RA: Concerto Grosso, pastel on paper, 2001

©

Estate of Tom Phillips / DACS 2023

22 RUSH-HOUR EVENT A HUMAN DOCUMENT

5pm–6pm

£12

The Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre, St Catherine’s College

Fiona Maddocks speaker

Richard Ovenden speaker

Netia Jones speaker

Clara Barbier Serrano soprano

Joanna Kacperek piano

Presented in association with St Catherine’s College

The third and final event in our celebration of Tom Phillips is a conversation about his life and work, with particular reference to his masterpiece A Humument, a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ that took more than 50 years to create. Author and music critic Fiona Maddocks was married to Tom Phillips and is joined by Bodley’s Librarian Richard Ovenden and director Netia Jones, close friends and collaborators of the artist. Two of our recent Young Artists punctuate the conversation with songs and piano pieces directly linked to Tom Phillips’ paintings.

23 EVENING CONCERT BATHED IN GOLDEN LIGHT

7.45pm–9.15pm / Holywell Music Room

Christine Rice mezzo-soprano

Timothy Ridout viola

Julius Drake piano

Emerging Artists:

Edward Kim baritone

Emily Hoh piano

Generously supported by The Beeching Trust

£32

The Music The luxurious sound-world of viola, mezzosoprano and piano inspired two of Brahms’s greatest songs, and these are heard alongside three later songs for the same ensemble by Frank Bridge. Also included are songs and viola pieces by Rebecca Clarke, herself a virtuoso violist as well as a widely admired composer. Haydn’s captivating and highly dramatic mini-cantata Arianna a Naxos completes the programme.

The Artists Christine Rice is an artist of ‘incredible intensity’ (The Guardian), who sings regularly at the Royal Opera House and other leading houses around the world. Festival favourite Julius Drake has been described by The New Yorker as the ‘collaborative pianist nonpareil’. They are joined by emerging star violist Timothy Ridout, hailed as ‘that rare kind of musician who could play a cardboard box and make it sing’ (The Guardian).

CHRISTINE RICE LOTTE BETTS-DEAN

The focus this morning is on the Expressionist artist Käthe Kollwitz, whose depictions of everyday hardship and loss were a powerful response to the horrors of the early 20th century. Later in the day, we work with student composers, showcase a prize-winning tenor, and welcome the great Swedish soprano Miah Persson.

24 SONG CONNECTIONS KÄTHE KOLLWITZ

10.15am–12.15pm £12

The Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum

Gavin Plumley speaker

Presented in association with the Ashmolean Museum

Cultural historian Gavin Plumley gives a talk on the Expressionist artist Käthe Kollwitz (ahead of Event 25), after which, the audience will divide into smaller groups for a private viewing of some Kollwitz lithographs that are not usually on display (11am–12.15pm).

25 LUNCHTIME CONCERT A GRIEVING SOUL

1pm–2pm / Holywell Music Room £16

Stephan Loges bass-baritone / Christoph Berner piano

Pre-eminent German bass-baritone Stephan Loges and pianist Christoph Berner have created this special programme inspired by the works of Käthe Kollwitz (see Event 24), in particular her poignant responses to the atrocities of war and the loss of one of her sons in World War One. Mahler’s astonishing Kindertotenlieder form the heart of the programme, with other works by Amy Beach, Charles Ives and Ethel Smyth.

26 SONG CONNECTIONS COMPOSITION WORKSHOP

2.30pm–4.45pm FREE Clore Studios, Mansfield Road

Presented in association with the Faculty of Music, University of Oxford

Six talented student composers hear their songs performed by Oxford Song Young Artist Jonathan Eyers and pianist Thomas Eeckhout in a workshop setting. Feedback from the performers and from Prof. Martyn Harry offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative process.

27 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT DAS LIED

5pm–6pm £13

Holywell Music Room

Laurence Kilsby tenor

Ella O’Neill piano

Presented in association with Heidelberger Frühling

Laurence Kilsby took joint first prize at the prestigious Das Lied competition in Heidelberg earlier this year, hot on the heels of winning the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition. In this showcase recital with Ella O’Neill, this fast-rising star presents an imaginative programme of songs by Brahms, Prokofiev, Clarke and Weill.

STEPHAN LOGES

29 LATE-NIGHT CONCERT

VOICE ELECTRIC

9.30pm–10.30pm

The Levine Building, Trinity College

Lotte Betts-Dean mezzo-soprano Purple Taiko video artist

28 EVENING CONCERT A SCANDINAVIAN FRAUENLIEBE

7.30pm–9pm / Holywell Music Room

Miah Persson soprano

Malcolm Martineau piano

Emerging Artists:

Felix Gygli baritone

JongSun Woo piano

Generously supported by Ian & Caroline Laing

£32

The Music Schumann’s cycle Frauenliebe und -leben (‘A woman’s life and love’) was one of the composer’s masterpieces of 1840, arguably reflecting his excitement and fears regarding his much-anticipated marriage to Clara Wieck. Alongside this, tonight’s artists have devised a sequence of songs that mirror the themes of Schumann’s cycle, with music by Grieg, Sibelius, Larsson and Stenhammar that also showcases the incredibly rich canon of Scandinavian song.

The Artists Swedish soprano Miah Persson is particularly renowned for her interpretations of Strauss and Mozart operatic roles and her powerful recitals; she has been described by The Sunday Times as having ‘soaring legato in long-breathed phrases and holding the stage with effortless charisma’. Malcolm Martineau is her equally acclaimed partner for this recital.

£16

Lotte Betts-Dean is fast establishing herself as one of today’s most creative and exciting voices. Together with video artist Purple Taiko, Lotte developed this show for solo voice, electronics and vintage CRT monitors for last year's Britten Pears Arts’ Festival of New. Voice Electric includes groundbreaking works by Luigi Nono and Kurt Schwitters alongside newer works by Kaija Saariaho, Erin Gee, Stuart MacRae and Mathis Saunier. Using analogue processing and effects to create a visual collage of lo-fi imagery, textures and colour, Purple Taiko’s visuals complete a thrilling evening.

MIAH

THURSDAY 19 OCTOBER

31 LUNCHTIME CONCERT SKETCHES OF HOMELAND

1pm–2pm £16

Holywell Music Room

Francesca Chiejina soprano

Jocelyn Freeman piano

Musical manuscripts across the centuries have constituted artworks in their own right, as several events highlight. Today's music ranges from Hildegard of Bingen to Shirley Thompson, via Barber and Brahms.

Nigerian-American soprano Francesca Chiejina is ‘one of the best recent alumnae of Covent Garden’s Jette Parker Young Artists Programme’ (The Telegraph), with a ‘warm, sumptuous tone’ (The Times). She and awardwinning Welsh pianist Jocelyn Freeman perform an arresting programme of songs from across the globe. Featuring Barber’s shimmering Knoxville Summer of 1915, lesser known but luxuriously lyrical songs by Nigerian composers Laz Ekwueme and Ayo Bankole, as well as Shirley Thompson OBE’s Psalm to Windrush, this is set to be full of discoveries and delights for all song-lovers.

30 SONG CONNECTIONS GOOSTLY PSALMES

30i 10am–11.15am / starting at St Edmund Hall £12

30ii 10.45am–12pm / starting at The Queen’s College Chapel

Henrike Lähnemann speaker

The Choir of St Edmund Hall

James Whitbourn director

The Choir of The Queen’s College

Owen Rees director/speaker

Presented in association with St Edmund Hall and The Queen’s College

What to expect Stand in the extraordinary medieval crypt at St Edmund Hall, and hear music from the 16th century sung from beautifully ornate partbooks, with facsimiles on display.

Hear, see and explore the stunning Goostly psalmes and spirituall songes by Miles Coverdale (1488-1568), a treasure of The Queen’s College, in the College Chapel. An unmissable step back in time as we highlight musical manuscripts as artworks.

Please note that regretfully there is no disabled access to the crypt at St Edmund Hall, which involves steep and uneven steps.

32 SONG CONNECTIONS

BRAHMS & MAX KLINGER

3pm–4pm £6

Weston Library Lecture Theatre

Natasha Loges speaker

Natasha Loges, always one of our most popular speakers, and Professor of Musicology at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, introduces the Brahmsphantasie, an astonishing illustrated edition of Brahms songs, ahead of tonight’s concert (Event 33).

Max Klinger: Evocation (from the series Brahms Fantasies), 1894

34 LATE-NIGHT CONCERT HILDEGARD TRANSFIGURED

9pm–10pm

The University Church

Voice Trio

Innerstrings video artist

33 EVENING CONCERT A BRAHMS FANTASY

7pm–8.30pm / Holywell Music Room

Samuel Hasselhorn baritone

Markus Hadulla piano

£16

£28

Generously supported by Charles Alexander & Kasia Starega

The Music In 1894, graphic artist and sculptor Max Klinger presented Brahms with the Brahmsphantasie, a monumental illustrated book inspired by the composer’s songs. Brahms later dedicated his final work, Vier ernste Gesänge (‘Four Serious Songs’) to Klinger, as a sign of his gratitude and respect. Illuminated by the Brahmsphantasie illustrations, this programme includes songs by Schubert and Brahms, tracing the ancient Greek and mythological themes that wind through this remarkable product of interdisciplinary dialogue.

The Artists A former member of the Vienna State Opera and winner of numerous prizes and accolades, Samuel Hasselhorn appears in Oxford for the first time. Markus Hadulla performs and records with many of the most highprofile singers in Europe, and is a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

The bar at the University Church will be open from 8.30pm, between Events 33 and 34.

Hildegard Transfigured is a collaborative piece of concert-theatre by vocal trio Voice and visual artist Innerstrings that shines a light on the 12th-century polymath Hildegard of Bingen, her capacity to love, mourn and wield ferocity, and the visions which consumed her both physically and spiritually throughout her life: ‘the living light’. The audience is taken on a musical and visual journey in a seamless onehour show of Hildegard’s original music, new compositions setting her words, and live visuals, all in the stunning setting of the University Church.

VOICE TRIO

Today’s events are closely linked to the Ashmolean Museum’s thrilling Colour Revolution exhibition (opening 21 September). During the day, explore the rich legacy of the PreRaphaelite artists, poets and musicians. In the evening, a carefully-curated programme of songs complements highlights of the exhibition.

36 LUNCHTIME CONCERT THE PRE-RAPHAELITE POETS

1pm–2pm £17

Holywell Music Room

Anna Dennis soprano

Ashley Riches bass-baritone

David Owen Norris piano

35 SONG CONNECTIONS

THE PRE-RAPHAELITE ARTISTS

10.15am–12.15pm £12

The Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum

Colin Harrison speaker

Presented in association with the Ashmolean Museum

Colin Harrison, Keeper of Western Art at the Ashmolean Museum, gives a talk on the Pre-Raphaelite painters, with particular reference to works in the Museum.

After this talk, as well as having time to visit the permanent collection, the audience will be divided into smaller groups for a private viewing of some Pre-Raphaelite drawings that are not usually on display (11.15am–12.15pm).

The Music The songs in this concert reflect the topics that also fixated the artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood – the recreation of an idealised Middle Ages, the celebration of Nature and of manual labour, the necessity of salvation, and above all, the telling of a story in a single image. Music by Parry and Elgar, amongst others, brings to life the words of the Pre-Raphaelite poets.

The Artists Soprano Anna Dennis won the Royal Philharmonic Society Singer Award 2023, where she was cited as having brought ‘extraordinary technique, musicianship and versatility to the widest array of achievements’.

Ashley Riches is a former BBC New Generation Artist and has given several memorable recitals at past Festivals. David Owen Norris is well known as a pianist and broadcaster, with an exceptionally wide range of interests and an infectious enthusiasm.

ANNA DENNIS

John Ruskin: Study of a Kingfisher, 1875 © Ashmolean Museum

37 WALKING TOUR

THE PRE-RAPHAELITES IN OXFORD

2.30pm–4.30pm

Starting at Holywell Music Room

£16 (incl. Event 38 and tea/coffee)

Led by David Owen Norris

Following the lunchtime concert (Event 36), David Owen Norris leads a leisurely walk from the Holywell Music Room to Harris Manchester College Chapel, with its windows by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris, and then on to the Museum of Natural History. Music and talking punctuate the walk, which ends in Keble College Chapel for a viewing of Holman Hunt’s The Light of the World, ahead of the 5pm performance by the College Choir (Event 38).

38 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

5pm–5.30pm

Keble College Chapel

£10 (or included in Event 37 ticket)

The Choir of Keble College

Christian Wilson director

Presented in association with Keble College

The Choir of Keble College gives a short concert that includes works by Parry and Sullivan, as well as a recent work by Deborah Pritchard, specially commissioned in response to Holman Hunt’s painting The Light of the World.

39 EVENING CONCERT COLOUR REVOLUTION

7.30pm–9.15pm / Holywell Music Room

Gweneth Ann Rand soprano

Simon Lepper piano

Madeline Hewitson speaker

Matthew Winterbottom speaker

Presented in association with the Ashmolean Museum

The Music This special event has been devised in partnership with the Ashmolean Museum, inspired by the Colour Revolution exhibition. Two of the exhibition's curators will introduce selected highlights, including works by Ruskin and Burne-Jones, as well as Goethe's Theory of Colours. Around this is woven a programme of songs carefully chosen by Gweneth Ann Rand, which will complement and illuminate these works with music by Barber, Britten, Debussy and Messiaen.

The Artists We are thrilled to welcome back soprano

£32

Gweneth Ann Rand and pianist Simon Lepper. The Guardian wrote of their 2019 Festival recital that ‘Rand’s sumptuous voice [was] technically brilliant, verbally agile and expressive’ and subsequently included it in the top 10 classical music events of the year.

GWENETH ANN RAND

CS HUBERT WEEK E DN

SCHUBERT 1828-2028

Our annual Schubert Weekend traces the composer’s life year by year, taking us to the bicentenary of his death in 2028. Our 1828 Syndicate, in support of these long-term plans, was established thanks to a generous lead gift from Hamish and Sophie Forsyth. See p38 for details on how to support Oxford International Song Festival.

CONNECTIONS

SCHUBERT IN 1823: THE REFINER’S FIRE

11.30am–12.45pm & 2pm–3pm

Holywell Music Room

Graham Johnson speaker/piano

Martha Guth soprano

Stephan Loges bass-baritone

41 AFTERNOON CONCERT EROS & PSYCHE

4.15pm–5.15pm £12

Holywell Music Room

Karola Pavone soprano

Boris Radulović piano

Presented in association with the International Lied Festival Zeist

The Music After Goethe and Schiller, the poet set most often by Schubert was his close friend Johann Mayrhofer. Some of the greatest songs that Mayrhofer’s poems inspired were on themes from Greek mythology. Today, these songs are heard alongside more recent settings of ancient Greek texts: those of Sappho by Jean Couthard and Theocritus by Dimitri Terzakis.

The Artists We welcome this prizewinning duo under the auspices of our partner festival in the Netherlands. The German-Italian soprano Karola Pavone and Serbian pianist Boris Radulović are a dedicated song duo who are already performing around Europe, to outstanding reviews.

£24

Graham Johnson is the pre-eminent scholar-pianist of our time, particularly in relation to the music and life of Franz Schubert. He continues his seminal survey of the final years of Schubert’s life and writes of today’s event:

‘1823 was the year when Schubert and the Schubertians faced the harsh realities of living and dying; the

undergraduate frivolities of the Atzenbrugg years of 1821 and 1822 seemed memories from another world. The brutal experiences of the composer’s illness and hospitalisation, and the loneliness and shame of suffering from a venereal infection would have silenced all but the bravest souls. Although his output was smaller than in the heady days of yore, from now on, thanks to the merciless refining fire of 1823, there was very little that was less than great. No matter what his personal travails, his responsibilities to his gifts were paramount and never shirked. Schubert had been a great composer since 1814, but 1823 was the year when a great human being took his place, however quietly and modestly, among the musical immortals.’

GRAHAM JOHNSON

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY HAMISH AND SOPHIE FORSYTH

ANDREAS HEISE

ISTVÁN SIMON

42 SONG CONNECTIONS DANCING SONG

6.45pm–7.15pm

The Olivier Hall Café, St Edward’s School (open from 6pm)

Andreas Heise speaker

Meindert Peters speaker

£5

43 EVENING CONCERT WINTERREISE

7.45pm–9pm

The Olivier Hall, St Edward’s School

£44/£33/£22/£11

Juliane Banse soprano / Alexander Krichel piano

István Simon dancer / Andreas Heise choreography

Generously supported by Nick & Elaine Harbinson and Jonathan Steinberg

Presented in association with DANSOX

German dancer/choreographer Andreas Heise studied dance in Dresden before joining the Norwegian National Ballet, where he danced many leading roles. As a choreographer, his works in recent years have premiered at the Salzburg Festival, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Oslo, Madrid and Vienna.

In this pre-performance conversation, he talks to Meindert Peters, Junior Research Fellow at New College and himself a former dancer, about combining dance and song, and the genesis of his Winterreise concept.

The Music ‘These songs please me more than all the rest, and in time they will please you as well.’ Thus spoke Schubert to his dumbfounded friends after he first performed the songs of Winterreise for them. His prophecy was quite correct, and the cycle is now a staple of all concert halls. Tonight we hear it in a special version that premiered in Portugal in 2019 and has been performed all over Europe to rapturous acclaim since then: stunning choreography binds singer and dancer, and brings a fresh and moving perspective to this astonishing work.

The Artists Juliane Banse is one of the leading sopranos of our time, having appeared on all the world’s great stages and recorded many prize-winning albums. Pianist Alexander Krichel is an ECHO Klassik prize winner and Sony recording artist.

Hungarian dancer István Simon is a permanent guest performer of Dortmund Opera and a regular guest with many of the most admired opera houses and theatres of the world. He was a gold medal winner at the international ballet competitions of Helsinki, Brno and St Pölten.

CS HUBERT WEEK E DN

The second day of our Schubert Weekend celebrates the 200th anniversary of Die schöne Müllerin, Schubert’s iconic song cycle. We delve into the origins of its texts and their preSchubert settings, and hear Schubert’s original cycle as well as a fresh 21st-century take.

44 SONG CONNECTIONS IMAGES OF SCHUBERT

11am–12pm £12

The Levine Building, Trinity College

Siân Dicker soprano

Natalie Burch piano

Richard Wigmore speaker

The broadcaster, writer and Schubert scholar Richard Wigmore examines images of Franz Schubert from contemporary portraits (many of his friends were artists) to 21st-century depictions. His talk is interspersed with Schubert songs, performed by prizewinning soprano and former Oxford Song Young Artist Siân Dicker, with pianist Natalie Burch.

CUSHION CONCERTS 10am, 11am & 12pm

A fantastic morning of music for children and their families, presented in association with the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building. See website for details.

45 AFTERNOON CONCERT DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN

1.30pm–3.30pm £30

Holywell Music Room

Robin Tritschler tenor

Graham Johnson piano

Dame Janet Suzman narrator

Anna Cavaliero soprano

James Turnbull oboe

The Music Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, one of the seminal works of the song repertoire, was written 200 years ago. Several events today focus on this cycle, starting with this complete performance. Graham Johnson, with typical insight and brilliance, has created a programme that intersperses readings of William Blake poems (Blake died just a month before Wilhelm Müller) and the cycle of ten Blake settings for voice and oboe by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The Artists Graham Johnson has been described as the ‘peerless song accompanist’ (The Daily Telegraph). He is joined today by the exceptional tenor Robin Tritschler for Die schöne Müllerin. Blake’s poems are read by revered actor Dame Janet Suzman, and the Vaughan Williams cycle is performed by soprano Anna Cavaliero (‘a spellbinding talent’, Bachtrack) and acclaimed oboist James Turnbull.

Gustav Klimt: Schubert at the Piano II, 1899

SIÂN DICKER

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY HAMISH AND SOPHIE FORSYTH

AN EVENING AT FREUD

We’re thrilled to be back at Freud: a stunning converted church in the heart of Oxford’s Jericho. The audience will be seated at tables, with the bar open before and after (but not during!) performances. Food will be available from 5pm.

46 SONG CONNECTIONS TRANSPARENCIES

4pm–5pm FREE

Freud, 119 Walton Street

Peter Davidson speaker

Artists: see Event 47

Backlit transparencies were a hugely popular domestic entertainment in the early years of the 19th century. Today we have a special showing of these, reflecting their original salon setting with live music. At 4.45pm, Peter Davidson (Senior Research Fellow at Campion Hall and author of The Lighted Window) will give a short talk on the history of transparencies.

47 SONG CONNECTIONS THE ORIGINAL MÜLLERIN

5.30pm–6.30pm

Freud, 119 Walton Street

Jennifer Ronyak speaker

Karla Grant soprano

48 EVENING CONCERT AN ERLKINGS MÜLLERIN

£16

Angharad Rowlands mezzo-soprano

Jonathan Eyers baritone

Jia Ning Ng piano

Wilhelm Müller’s poems, which were set by Schubert in Die schöne Müllerin, were originally written for a performance in 1816 at the Berlin salon of Privy Councillor Friedrich August Stägemann. Müller was in love with Luise Hensel, later the sisterin-law of Fanny Mendelssohn, and himself played the role of the rejected young miller, with music written by Ludwig Berger. Jennifer Ronyak (Kunstuniversität Graz) and a superb team of musicians recreate this salon in the fun and informal setting of Freud.

7.45pm–9pm / Freud, 119 Walton Street £28

The Erlkings

The Music The Erlkings, making a much-anticipated return to the Festival, give a complete performance of their own unique version of Die schöne Müllerin. The songs are rediscovered through the lens of a modern musical vocabulary and given new life in the 21st century through lovingly crafted English translations. ‘One rarely hears Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin performed with such creativity and competence’, wrote Mainpost, and whether you’re new to Schubert or this is your favourite repertoire, this is not an event you’ll want to miss.

The Artists The Erlkings are the bridge between today’s beloved genre of acoustic singer-songwriters and the great song composers of the past. The unusual combination of voice, guitar, cello, tuba and drums makes for a whole new world of sound, offering even the most conservative art-song expert a chance to enjoy this repertoire as though for the first time.

THE ERLKINGS

MONDAY 23 OCTOBER

The Mastercourse, led by Wolfgang Holzmair, gets underway, while concerts are given by BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Catriona Morison, the extraordinary jazz pianist Dan Tepfer with Anush Hovhannisyan, and the ever-popular Roderick Williams.

50 LUNCHTIME CONCERT VIENNA TO LONDON

1pm–2pm £17

Holywell Music Room

Catriona Morison mezzo-soprano

Malcolm Martineau piano

The Music This programme moves between Vienna and London. Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (‘Songs of a Wayfarer’) are the centrepiece of a richly colourful programme of Viennese and English works from the turn of the 20th century. Mahler’s contemporary compatriots Strauss and Korngold both applied their gloriously vibrant soundworlds to their songs. Songs by Ivor Gurney, including his masterpiece ‘Sleep’, and Cecil Armstrong Gibbs are poignantly evocative.

49 MASTERCOURSE MASTERCOURSE DAY ONE

10am–12.30pm & 2.30pm–5pm

The Levine Building, Trinity College

£6 per day / £26 Mastercourse Pass

Wolfgang Holzmair lead tutor

Graham Johnson guest tutor

Wolfgang Holzmair makes a welcome return to the Festival to lead our annual Mastercourse. The course provides a wonderful opportunity for a new generation of brilliant musicians to learn from top international artists and to immerse themselves in song. It also gives a fantastic insight into the creative process for members of the public, who are warmly invited to attend throughout the week. Wolfgang Holzmair will be joined by four guest tutors across the course and today we welcome the great pianist, author and scholar Graham Johnson to share his wisdom.

The Artists With ‘a voice of many colours, wielded with innate musicianship and sensitivity across its considerable range’ (The Times), BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Winner Catriona Morison makes a welcome return to the Festival alongside celebrated pianist Malcolm Martineau.

CATRIONA MORISON

Emil Orlik: Gustav Mahler, 1902

51 RUSH-HOUR JAZZ THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK

5.15pm–6.15pm £16

Jacqueline du Pré Music Building

Dan Tepfer jazz piano

Anush Hovhannisyan soprano

Presented in association with the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building & 23 Arts

One of his generation’s extraordinary talents, Dan Tepfer has earned an international reputation as a pianistcomposer of wide-ranging individuality and drive: 'a remarkable musician' (Washington Post) and one 'who refuses to set himself limits' (Télérama). He has recorded and performed with some of the leading lights in jazz and classical music, from Lee Konitz to Renée Fleming. He is joined by star BritishArmenian soprano Anush Hovhannisyan for this concert that includes songs by works by Gershwin, Kern and Weill.

52 EVENING CONCERT TELL ME THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE

7.45pm–9.15pm £44/£33/£22/£11

Saint John the Evangelist

Roderick Williams baritone

Iain Burnside piano

Emerging Artists:

Sofia Kirwan-Baez soprano

Alex Norton piano

Generously supported by Bernard & Sarah Taylor

The Music A kaleidoscopic recital exploring the joys and tribulations of love. Drawing on Britten’s much-loved setting of Auden’s Tell me the Truth about Love, this programme is a musical feast which includes everything from Purcell to Caroline Shaw, via Quilter, Fauré, and Fanny Mendelssohn.

The Artists Recitals given by Roderick Williams, who has been described by The Daily Telegraph as ‘our greatest living baritone’, never fail to astonish. He is joined by the pianist, broadcaster and writer Iain Burnside.

RODERICK WILLIAMS

TUESDAY 24 OCTOBER

Explore the multiple talents of composer-artist Felix Mendelssohn and artist-poet William Blake, before experiencing one of the great meetings of artistic minds in the Mörike Lieder of Hugo Wolf.

55 LUNCHTIME CONCERT THE MENDELSSOHNS

1pm–2pm

Holywell Music Room

Harriet Burns soprano

Alessandro Fisher tenor

53 MASTERCOURSE MASTERCOURSE DAY TWO

10am–12.30pm / The Levine Building, Trinity College

2.30pm–5pm / Holywell Music Room

£6 per day / £26 Mastercourse Pass

Wolfgang Holzmair lead tutor

Anna Tilbrook guest tutor

See Event 49 for full details.

54 SONG CONNECTIONS

A MENDELSSOHN SHOW & TELL

54i 10am–10.45am 54ii 11am–11.45am

Blackwell Hall, The Weston Library

Martin Holmes speaker

Presented in association with the Bodleian Libraries

£12

Eugene Asti piano

£17

What to expect A rare chance to see some of the treasures of the Bodleian Libraries up close, guided by the Alfred Brendel Curator of Music, Martin Holmes. The Libraries hold one of the most significant collections of Mendelssohn manuscripts, including the stunning ‘Schilflied’, a song manuscript intricately illustrated in watercolour by Mendelssohn himself.

The Music Both Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn wrote a plethora of sumptuous songs. This lunchtime concert, leading on from this morning’s look at manuscripts and paintings, illuminates the sometimes complex relationship between the siblings, and features some of their finest and most personal works.

The Artists Pianist Eugene Asti is well known to festival audiences as ‘a model partner, commentator and animator’ (Gramophone). He’s joined by two former Oxford Song Young Artists, soprano Harriet Burns and tenor Alessandro Fisher, both now enjoying soaring careers.

Felix Mendelssohn: Schilflied, 1845

56 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT LOOKING AT BLAKE

5.15pm–6.15pm

The Levine Building, Trinity College

Robin Tritschler tenor

Christopher Glynn piano

57 EVENING CONCERT DEVILISHLY GOOD SONGS

£18

7.30pm–8.45pm / Holywell Music Room

Thomas Oliemans baritone

Malcolm Martineau piano

Emerging Artists:

£32

What to expect Experience William Blake as both poet and artist. Composers including Vaughan Williams, Quilter, Parry, Walton, Clarke and others set Blake’s poetry. Today, a rich selection of these fantastic songs are made even more vivid by projected images of Blake’s striking artworks, in a special project curated by tenor Robin Tritschler.

The Artists Robin Tritschler has been hailed as ‘radiantly lyrical’. He was a BBC New Generation Artist, and has subsequently enjoyed a career of opera, oratorio and song. Pianist Christopher Glynn combines a busy life playing song and chamber music around the world with his role as artistic director of the acclaimed Ryedale Festival.

Annabel Kennedy mezzo-soprano

Ana Manastireanu piano

Generously supported by John & Gay Drysdale

The Music When the composer Hugo Wolf discovered the poetry of Eduard Mörike, it sent him into a creative frenzy. Wolf was acutely aware of the masterpieces he was creating, writing that he was ‘working with a thousand horsepower, from early morning into the night without interruption.’ At every turn, he matched Mörike’s poetry, which ranges from the sacred to the profoundly profane. Of one of his favourite songs he wrote, ‘when you hear it, the Devil will take you with pleasure.’

The Artists Thomas Oliemans is one of today’s pre-eminent Dutch singers. He gave an astonishing solo performance of Winterreise at the 2022 Festival, both playing the piano and singing. This year, he relinquishes the keyboard once more to his long-term collaborator, the esteemed pianist Malcolm Martineau.

WEDNESDAY 25 OCTOBER LIFE

VICTORIA

Two events today celebrate the centenary of the great soprano Victoria de los Ángeles, in partnership with our friends at LIFE Victoria in Barcelona. We also welcome two BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winners: Ukrainian baritone Andrei Kymach and South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha.

60 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT MICHELANGELO

5.15pm–6.15pm £12

Holywell Music Room

Runzhe Li tenor

Mar Compte piano

58 MASTERCOURSE MASTERCOURSE DAY THREE

10am–12.30pm & 2.30pm–5pm

The Levine Building, Trinity College

£6 per day / £26 Mastercourse Pass

Wolfgang Holzmair lead tutor

See Event 49 for full details.

59 LUNCHTIME CONCERT UKRAINIAN SONGS

1pm–2pm / Holywell Music Room

Andrei Kymach baritone / Llŷr Williams piano

The LIFE Victoria Festival in Barcelona is one of our international partner festivals, and we are proud to welcome their Young Artists to Oxford (our own Young Artists give an annual performance in Barcelona). Chinese tenor Runzhe Li and Catalan pianist Mar Compte perform Britten’s seven settings of the artist-poet Michelangelo, an exuberant cycle written for Peter Pears in 1940. As well as a group of Schubert songs, they perform songs by the Chinese composer Huang Tzu, a prodigiously gifted musician who emigrated to the US, where he was already an influential figure when his life was cut short by typhoid aged just 34.

£16

The Music This programme of Ukrainian songs showcases the fantastic repertoire of an impressive range of composers who are fast becoming well known, and with good cause. Lysenko, Zherbin and Stetsenko, among others, are all examples of outstanding song composers who draw on a rich national history of poetry.

The Artists Ukrainian baritone Andrei Kymach won the 2019 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, and has since enjoyed great international success. Pianist Llŷr Williams, an alumnus of The Queen’s College, Oxford, is known both as an international soloist and as a collaborator with many leading singers.

Francisco Goya: La maja vestida, 1800-05

61 EVENING CONCERT RÜCKERT LIEDER

7.45pm–9pm / Holywell Music Room £28

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha soprano

Simon Lepper piano

Generously supported by Andrew & Celia Curran

The Music Mahler’s Rückert Lieder were written primarily in the summer of 1901, following a life-threatening collapse. He was drawn to the Persian-inspired poetry of Friedrich Rückert, and seemed to find an autobiographical thread in these texts: Rückert implores his reader not to look at his poems until they are finished, and Mahler loathed anyone overhearing his work in progress; ‘Um Mitternacht’ echoes his own close encounter with death; and of ‘Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’ he wrote that ‘it is my very self’. Alongside this extraordinary cycle, we hear works by Richard Strauss, including his most famous song, ‘Morgen’, as well as a selection of spirituals.

The Artists Our second BBC Cardiff Singer of the World winner today (see Event 59)! Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha is garnering acclaim wherever she sings, and has been described as ‘a voice-in-a-million sort of singer’ (The Times). Simon Lepper (see also Event 39) performs alongside many of today’s best-known singers.

62 LATE-NIGHT CONCERT GOYA & GRANADOS

9.30pm–10.15pm £15

The Levine Building, Trinity College

Mercedes Gancedo soprano

Sholto Kynoch piano

Catalan composer Enrique Granados was a fine painter himself, and had a near obsession with the works of visionary artist Francisco Goya. Granados made his name with Goyescas, a cycle of piano pieces, but the Tonadillas, a vibrant set of twelve songs, were also written in direct response to Goya’s works. In the second event today celebrating the centenary of Victoria de los Ángeles in partnership with LIFE Victoria, we welcome back the Barcelona-based Argentinian soprano Mercedes Gancedo to perform this cycle, complemented by readings and projections.

MERCEDES GANCEDO

MASABANE CECILIA RANGWANASHA

THURSDAY 26 OCTOBER

A major world premiere by our Associate Composer Alex Ho and writer Elayce Ismail takes us into a post-climate-breakdown world. During the day, enjoy concerts by a thrilling young French soprano and the outstanding Castalian Quartet.

64 LUNCHTIME CONCERT NADIA, HENRIETTE & ELSA

63 MASTERCOURSE MASTERCOURSE DAY FOUR

10am–12.30pm & 2.30pm–5pm

The Levine Building, Trinity College

£6 per day / £26 Mastercourse Pass

Wolfgang Holzmair lead tutor

Jan Philip Schulze guest tutor

See Event 49 for full details.

65

1pm–2pm £16 Holywell Music Room

Clarisse Dalles soprano

Anne Le Bozec piano

In terms of future star-spotting, this is a recital not to miss! Clarisse Dalles is one of the most exciting young voices in France today. She and the outstanding pianist Anne Le Bozec bring a glorious programme of works by three giants of French song and musical history, all predecessors of Anne Le Bozec at the Paris Conservatoire: Nadia Boulanger, Henriette Puig-Roget and Elsa Barraine. Clarisse and Anne have recently recorded this programme, which is a journey of delights and revelations.

SONGMAKERS IN CONVERSATION

3pm–4pm / Holywell Music Room FREE

Alex Ho

Presented in association with the Humanities Cultural Programme Everything is Connected season

Ahead of this evening’s world premiere (see Event 67), our Associate Composer Alex Ho discusses the inspiration for his new ‘cli-fi’ song cycle, written with Elayce Ismail, as well as the collaborative process of creating a major new work for the song repertoire.

SONG CONNECTIONS

CLARISSE DALLES

ALEX HO

ANNE LE BOZEC

JAN PHILIP SCHULZE

66 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT DOVER BEACH

5.15pm–6.15pm £18

University Church

Castalian String Quartet

Julien Van Mellaerts baritone

Presented in association with the Faculty of Music, University of Oxford

The Castalian Quartet, Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at the University of Oxford, return to the Festival with a programme that includes Janáček’s ‘Kreutzer Sonata’, and Mendelssohn’s Quartet in F minor, Op.80. Together with baritone

Julien Van Mellaerts they also perform Samuel Barber’s hauntingly atmospheric Dover Beach

67 EVENING CONCERT THE GLASS EYE

7.30pm–9pm / Holywell Music Room £28

Hugh Cutting countertenor

Dylan Perez piano

Generously supported by Nigel & Griselda Hamway

Presented in association with the Humanities Cultural Programme Everything is Connected season

The Music The centrepiece of tonight’s concert is the world premiere of The Glass Eye, a new song cycle by Alex Ho (the culmination of his tenure as our Associate Composer) and the acclaimed writer Elayce Ismail. In an imagined future where humans have retreated underground, there is only one window on the planet they polluted: a glassy pool of water through which they can see, but not feel, the air above. This haunting and atmospheric new song cycle explores the broken connection between humans and the natural world, and is a warning against the destructive power of human nature.

The Artists Exceptional countertenor Hugh Cutting gave a memorable performance at last year’s Festival, hot on the heels of his triumph at the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Awards. Pianist Dylan Perez, a former Oxford Song Young Artist, was recently described by The Sunday Times as ‘sublime and profoundly intuitive’ for his widely acclaimed recording of the complete songs of Samuel Barber.

JULIEN VAN MELLAERTS

FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER

Thrilling new music features in every concert today: a co-commission from Roxanna Panufnik; the trailblazing Tangram music collective; the premiere of a new cycle by Geoffrey Gordon; and a late-night concert featuring songs from Monteverdi to Billie Eilish.

68 MASTERCOURSE MASTERCOURSE

DAY FIVE

10am–12.30pm / The Levine Building, Trinity College

2.30pm–5pm / Holywell Music Room

£6 per day / £26 Mastercourse Pass

Wolfgang Holzmair lead tutor

Anne Le Bozec guest tutor

See Event 49 for full details.

69 LUNCHTIME CONCERT GALLERY OF MEMORIES

1pm–2pm / Holywell Music Room £16

Mary Bevan soprano / Anna Tilbrook piano

The Music Gabriel Fauré’s cycle La bonne Chanson is a radiant masterpiece, by turns profound and exuberant. It is heard alongside a new work by Roxanna Panufnik, cocommissioned with the Presteigne Festival, with words by Jessica Duchen. Panufnik and Duchen’s Silver Birch, a recent collaboration for Garsington Opera, was hailed by Classical Source as a work that ‘embodies the power of music to transform lives’.

The Artists Mary Bevan is one of today’s most exciting singers, hailed as ‘simply spectacular’, and a former winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist Award. She is joined by leading pianist Anna Tilbrook, following a memorable recital together at Spring Song 2022.

70 RUSH-HOUR CONCERT 三礫 THREE PEBBLES

5.15pm–6.15pm £18

The Levine Building, Trinity College

Tangram: Alex Ho

Mantawoman

Laila Smith

Trailblazing music collective Tangram (Associate Artists at LSO St Luke’s) are coming to the Festival fresh from making their European debuts with Untold (winner of the FEDORA Opera Prize). Centring the sung and unsung voices of their communities, Tangram offer a powerful provocation transcending the narrative that Chinese and western cultures are separate. Their programme is inspired by the missing history, place and legacy of Chinese communities in the UK and US, and includes new works by their coArtistic Directors: Mantawoman, one of the leading yangqin players performing outside Asia, and Alex Ho, who is also our Associate Composer.

MARY BEVAN

JACQUES IMBRAILO

71 EVENING CONCERT A POET’S LOVE

7.45pm–9pm / Holywell Music Room £30

Jacques Imbrailo baritone

Alisdair Hogarth piano

Generously supported by Julian Hall & Ingrid Lunt

The Music Schumann’s Dichterliebe has been in the canon of great song cycles almost since the day the ink dried on the manuscript. Alongside this monumental work, and songs by Fauré and Ravel, we hear the world premiere of a new song cycle setting texts from John Donne’s Holy Sonnets by BritishAmerican composer Geoffrey Gordon, whose music has been described by the The New York Times as ‘darkly seductive’.

The Artists South-African baritone Jacques Imbrailo is one of the most sought-after singers of his generation, and his performances have been described as ‘almost unbearably moving’ (Daily Telegraph). He and the pianist Alisdair Hogarth have been widely acclaimed for their recitals and recordings.

72 LATE-NIGHT CONCERT

HELLO DARKNESS

9.30pm–10.30pm £16 New College Ante-Chapel

Olivia Vermeulen mezzo-soprano

Jan Philip Schulze piano

What to expect Olivia Vermeulen and Jan Philip Schulze’s 2021 recital, ‘Dirty Minds’, was a thrilling masterclass in programming and performance. We welcome them back for a live performance of their fascinating 2022 album Hello Darkness, an evening that promises ‘endless listening pleasure’ (De Volkskrant). With music spanning styles and centuries, the recital is connected by running threads of melancholia, murderous lust, comfort, hope and plenty of black humour.

The Artists Olivia Vermeulen’s singing is ‘so wonderfully luminous and captivating that no listener will ever forget it’ (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung). Jan Philip Schulze is one of today’s most exciting and versatile pianists, who works with leading singers around the globe.

JAN PHILIP SCHULZE & OLIVIA VERMEULEN

On the closing day of the Festival, join in with Song Club, support and enjoy the brilliant Mastercourse students in their showcase concert, and experience an elaborate 19thcentury salon entertainment. The Festival draws to a close with a celebratory double concert.

11am–12.15pm

Doctorow Room, St Edmund Hall

£9 (incl. tea/coffee)

Led by Richard Wigmore

Song Club – the song-world equivalent of a book club – is an informal, lively group, led by broadcaster and writer Richard Wigmore. We’re delighted this is now a regular Festival fixture to which all are welcome to contribute or simply to come and listen to the discussion about songs, recordings and performances.

CONCERT

1.30pm–3.30pm

Holywell Music Room

Mastercourse Participants

Introduced by Wolfgang Holzmair

£16

Each year, the Mastercourse culminates with a recital by the participants, giving them the opportunity to perform to an enthusiastic song audience and to showcase all they have explored during an intense week of classes. Introduced by the lead tutor, Wolfgang Holzmair, this celebratory concert is always a highlight of the Festival.

73 SONG CONNECTIONS SONG CLUB

74 MASTERCOURSE MASTERCOURSE

JAMES GILCHRIST

Mastercourse participants 2022

Caspar David Friedrich: Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1817

75 SONG CONNECTIONS TABLEAUX VIVANTS

5pm–6pm £12

The Levine Building, Trinity College

Laura Tunbridge speaker

Anhad Arora speaker

James Gilchrist tenor

Anna Tilbrook piano

Presented in association with the Faculty of Music, University of Oxford

What to expect Tableaux vivants, or living pictures, were popular ‘audiovisual’ entertainments in early 19th-century Germany, with elaborately costumed casts posing during musical performances. The Mendelssohns and Schumanns were fascinated by them, and this recreation of such a gathering features their music alongside that of Spontini, with songs that were intended for specific tableaux vivants.

The Artists The world-renowned duo of James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook perform side-by-side with talented students from the Faculty of Music, with the scene set by two fascinating speakers, Laura Tunbridge and Anhad Arora.

76 CLOSING RECITAL THE WANDERER / AU NATUREL

7.30pm–9.30pm £34 (incl. glass of wine)

Holywell Music Room / University Church

Toby Spence tenor

Isabelle Peters soprano

Sholto Kynoch piano

I Fagiolini

Robert Hollingworth director

Presented in association with the Humanities Cultural Programme Everything is Connected season

What to expect Two concerts in one! In the Holywell Music Room, Toby Spence and Sholto Kynoch perform Schubert songs, inspired by the quintessential Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. They are joined by exceptional young soprano Isabelle Peters. In the stunning University Church, the glorious sound of I Fagiolini conveys a specially devised programme in response to Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s cycle of paintings

The Seasons. Half the audience will attend each concert, swapping places during the interval (check your ticket carefully for your starting point!). At the end of the evening, all are warmly invited for a celebratory drink in the University Church, to mark the end of this year’s Festival.

The Artists Diapason recently described Toby Spence as ‘triumphant – on breathtaking vocal form, with an equally breathtaking ability to sculpt every word’. I Fagiolini, founded and directed by Robert Hollingworth, have been described by The Guardian as ‘a superb ensemble, outstanding in their range and versatility’, while The Spectator has called their musicianship ‘the Holy Grail of concert-going’!

TOBY SPENCE I FAGIOLINI

SUPPORT US

Even with full houses, ticket sales generate just 40% of our annual income, and it is the support of individuals, charitable trusts and our corporate partners that sustains our activity each year. We would not be where we are today without the continued generosity of our wonderful family of supporters, to whom we are hugely grateful.

Oxford International Song Festival is on a bright and brilliant trajectory, with ambitious plans to grow our artistic and outreach programmes in the years to come. As we forge ahead with these exciting activities, we need your help to ensure that our inspirational programme of performance, creation, training and learning continues to thrive for many more years to come.

HOW TO SUPPORT OXFORD INTERNATIONAL SONG FESTIVAL

Become a member with a regular monthly or annual gift by joining either: The Friends of Oxford International Song Festival (from £5pcm) OR The Schubert Circle (from £50pcm)

Make a one-off donation

Pledge to leave a gift to Oxford International Song Festival in your will

To find out more visit oxfordsong.org/support, or if you are interested in making a larger gift to join the Artistic Director’s Circle or 1828 Syndicate, please contact: Ellen Parkes (Membership & Development Director) | ellen@oxfordsong.org | 07751 286 625

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE OXFORD INTERNATIONAL SONG FESTIVAL POSSIBLE

ENSURE

world-class musicmaking in the heart of Oxford

ENCOURAGE

the next generation of musicians and help inspire young people across Oxfordshire

ENJOY a priority booking period and guarantee tickets to the most popular concerts

CELEBRATE

song, music and poetry, and be a vital part of a thriving, inspirational Festival

MEET

Festival artists and like-minded song lovers at supporters’ events and receptions throughout the year

COMING TO THE FESTIVAL FESTIVAL PASS

A Festival Pass is a fantastic way to take in the full breadth of the Festival and immerse yourself in song. It gives you access to all events (with a few exceptions where venue capacity is limited; see list below) and represents a saving of over 20% on buying for individual events.

FULL FESTIVAL PASS

13 – 28 October: £790

ONE-WEEK PASSES

Week One: £445

13 – 21 October (9 days)

Week Two: £480

20– 28 October (9 days)

The following events are excluded from the passes and need to be booked separately:

10 11 15 21 24 26

30 35 37 42 54 73

If you would like assistance with your booking, please contact the Box Office.

HELP & FAQ s

For information on wheelchair spaces, easy-access seats, waiting lists for sold-out events, doors opening times, latecomers, schedule changes and refunds, please visit the FAQs page on our website: oxfordsong.org/faqs

BOX OFFICE

The easiest way to book is online at: oxfordsong.org

If you have any queries, please email: boxoffice@oxfordsong.org Or call us on 01865 591276 (Mon–Fri 11am–4pm)

ONLINE TICKET OFFERS

The more concerts you book via our website the more you save! The following discounts apply (within a single booking):

5 or more concerts: 5%

10 or more concerts: 10%

15 or more concerts: 15%

UNDER-35s

£8 tickets for under-35s are available at all events. Join our mailing list and follow us on social media.

THE OXFORD SONG BUS

THE TEAM

Artistic Director

Sholto Kynoch

Administration & Finance

Taya Smith

Membership & Development

Ellen Parkes

Box Office & Membership

Helena Wynn

Marketing

Jeff Coventry-Fenn Programmes

Zoe Lumsden

Learning & Participation

Kate SwinburneJohnson Engagement

Peter Burrows Press

Clare Adams

Claire Lishman Website

Tom King Design

Ana Acosta

Return to Oxford Parkway Park & Ride quickly and easily after the main evening concert by booking a seat in one of our pre-arranged minicabs. Simply book your seat at the Box Office before the evening concert and a taxi will collect you and fellow audience members from outside the venue and take you to the Park & Ride. Fares cost £3.50 per person.

Events Partner Events Partner

Broadcast Partner Events Partner

International Partner

College Partner

International Partner

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO

The 1828 Syndicate

Hamish & Sophie Forsyth Founder Supporters

The Kowitz Family Foundation

Bernard & Sarah Taylor

An anonymous donor

The Artistic Director’s Circle

The Schubert Circle

Friends of Oxford

International Song Festival

SUPPORTING OUR ARTISTIC PROGRAMME

The Beeching Trust

The Chelsea Square 1994 Trust

The Humanities Cultural Programme (the University of Oxford)

The J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust

Oxford Botanic Garden

Oxford City Council Community Impact Fund

The Tolkien Trust

SUPPORTING SONG FUTURES

The Nicholas John Trust Founder Supporter

The Bishopsdown Trust

The Hinrichsen Foundation

The Vaughan Williams Foundation

SUPPORTING YOUNG ARTISTS AND EDUCATION

All Souls College, Oxford

The Ammco Charitable Trust

The Anson Charitable Trust

The Bartlett Taylor Charitable Trust

Brasenose College, Oxford

The Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust

Christ Church, Oxford

The Charity of Thomas Dawson

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

The Rainbow Dickinson Trust

The Doris Field Charitable Trust

The Fidelio Charitable Trust

The Garrick Charitable Trust

International Partner

The Idlewild Trust

Jesus College, Oxford

The Kathleen Trust

The Cecil King Memorial Foundation

The Kirby Laing Foundation

The Jean Meikle Music Trust

New College, Oxford

The Sarah Nowell Education Foundation

Oxford Orpheus

The Porter Foundation

The PF Charitable Trust

The Queen’s College, Oxford

The Radcliffe Trust

The Scops Arts Trust

The Souldern Trust

The Adrian Swire Charitable Trust

St John’s College, Oxford

The John Thaw Foundation

The Thistle Trust

The Wavendon Foundation

THE FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE

FRI 13 pp6–7

SAT 14 pp8–9

SUN 15 pp10–11

1 Quiet Music: A Draw-Along (HMR)

5 Yves Saint Laurent: Way, Burch, Rodulfo (JdP)

10i Tour (TQC)

MON 16 pp12–13 15 SongPath (Harcourt Arboretum)

TUE 17 pp14–15

WED 18 pp16–17 24 Käthe Kollwitz (Ashmolean Museum)

THU 19 pp18–19 30 Goostly Psalmes (SEH, TQC)

FRI 20 pp20–21

SAT 21 pp22–23

SUN 22 pp24–25

MON 23 pp26–27

TUE 24 pp28–29

35 The Pre-Raphaelite Artists (Ashmolean Museum)

11 A Baroque Vision (TQC)

6 Talk (JdP)

10ii Tour (TQC)

16 Charlston, Kynoch (HMR)

20 Betts-Dean, MacGregor, West (HMR)

25 Loges, Berner (HMR)

31 Chiejina, Freeman (HMR)

36 Dennis, Riches, Norris (HMR)

40 Schubert in 1823: The Refiner’s Fire Graham Johnson (HMR)

44 Images of Schubert (LB)

49 Mastercourse Day One: Wolfgang Holzmair/Graham Johnson (LB)

53 Mastercourse Day Two: Wolfgang Holzmair/Anna Tilbrook (LB)

54 Mendelssohn (Weston Library)

WED 25 pp30–31 58 Mastercourse Day Three: Wolfgang Holzmair (LB)

THU 26 pp32–33

63 Mastercourse Day Four: Wolfgang Holzmair/Jan Philip Schulze (LB)

FRI 27 pp34–35 68 Mastercourse Day Five: Wolfgang Holzmair/Anne Le Bozec (LB)

SAT 28 pp36–37

73 Song Club: Richard Wigmore (SEH)

2 Classical Motifs (Weston Library)

7 She Represents: Hellier, Ware (JdP)

12 Talk (HMR)

17 How Fair this Spot (TQC)

21 A Rich Tapestry (St Catz)

26 Composition Workshop (Clore Studios)

32 Brahms & Max Klinger (Weston Library)

37 The Pre-Raphaelites in Oxford (starting at HMR)

45 Die schöne Müllerin: Tritschler, Johnson, Suzman, Cavaliero, Turnbull (HMR)

50 Morison, Martineau (HMR)

55 Burns, Fisher, Asti (HMR)

59 Kymach, Williams (HMR)

64 Dalles, Le Bozec (HMR)

69 Bevan, Tilbrook (HMR)

49 Mastercourse Day One: Wolfgang Holzmair/ Graham Johnson (LB)

53 Mastercourse Day Two: Wolfgang Holzmair/ Anna Tilbrook (HMR)

58 Mastercourse Day Three: Wolfgang Holzmair (LB)

63 Mastercourse Day Four: Holzmair/Schulze (LB)

65 Songmakers (HMR)

68 Mastercourse Day Five: Wolfgang Holzmair/ Anne Le Bozec (HMR)

74 Mastercourse Concert (HMR)

VENUES KEY: Holywell Music Room (HMR) | Levine Building, Trinity College (LB) | Jacqueline du Pré Music Building (JdP) | St John the Evangelist Church

3 The Phoenix (HMR)

8 Parfums et Paroles: Holliman, Balfour, Ramadan (HMR)

13 Poet of Freedom: Platt, Shah (HMR)

18 Pictures at an Exhibition (HMR)

22 A Human Document (St Catz)

27 Kilsby, O’Neill (HMR)

38 Keble Choir

41 Pavone, Radulovíc (HMR)

46 Transparencies (Freud)

47 The Original Müllerin (Freud)

51 Tepfer, Hovhannisyan (JdP)

56 Looking at Blake: Tritschler, Glynn (LB)

60 Michelangelo: Li, Compte (HMR)

66 Castalian Quartet, Van Mellaerts (HMR)

70 三礫 Three Pebbles (LB)

75 Tableaux Vivants (LB)

4 Dame Sarah Connolly, Dame Imogen Cooper (Sheldonian)

9 Benjamin Appl, Sholto Kynoch (HMR)

14 The Choir of The Queen’s College, Nicholas Mulroy, Toby Carr (TQC)

19 Christopher Maltman, Audrey Saint-Gil (HMR)

23 Christine Rice, Timothy Ridout, Julius Drake (HMR)

28 Miah Persson, Malcolm Martineau (HMR)

33 Samuel Hasselhorn, Markus Hadulla (HMR)

39 Gweneth Ann Rand, Simon Lepper (HMR)

29 Voice Electric (LB)

34 Hildegard Transfigured (SMV)

42 Talk (Olivier Hall Café)

43 Juliane Banse, Alexander Krichel, István Simon, Andreas Heise (Olivier Hall)

48 An Erlkings Müllerin (Freud)

52 Roderick Williams, Iain Burnside (SJE)

57 Thomas Oliemans, Malcolm Martineau (HMR)

61 Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Simon Lepper (HMR)

67 Hugh Cutting, Dylan Perez (HMR)

71 Jacques Imbrailo, Alisdair Hogarth (HMR)

62 Goya & Granados (LB)

72 Hello Darkness (New College)

76 Toby Spence, Isabelle Peters, Sholto Kynoch, I Fagiolini, Robert Hollingworth (HMR, SMV)

(SJE) | St Edmund Hall (SEH) | The Queen’s College (TQC) | St Catherine’s College (St Catz) | University Church of St Mary the Virgin (SMV)

‘ … EXCELLENT AND INDISPENSABLE…

THE FESTIVAL BRILLIANTLY ACHIEVES ITS GOAL OF MAKING CLASSICAL SONG

FEEL EXCITING AND EVEN FUN. ’ The Telegraph, 2022

‘ BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC OF THE YEAR ’

The Times & The Guardian, 2021

★

★

★

★ ★ THE TIMES

★

★ ★ ★ FINANCIAL TIMES

★ ★

★ ★ THE OBSERVER

OXFORD INTERNATIONAL SONG FESTIVAL

Patron Sir Thomas Allen

Schubert Circle Patron Dame Sarah Connolly

Schubert Circle President Dr John Drysdale

Friends Patron Ian Partridge CBE

Trustees Charles Alexander, Nicola Creed, Hamish Forsyth, Julian Hall, Nigel Hamway, John Krebs, Charles Naylor, Sarah Taylor

Oxford International Song Festival is the working name for Oxford Lieder: a Registered Charity and a company limited by guarantee

Registered Office: 37 Fairacres Road, Oxford OX4 1TH

Registered in England No. 5485276

Registered Charity No. 1111458

Contact: 01865 591276 | info@oxfordsong.org

© Oxford International Song Festival, 2023

Photo credits: oxfordsong.org/photocredits

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