Welcome from Marios Papadopoulos Artistic Director
Amidst the atmospheric setting of a historic city, the 2025 Oxford Piano Festival once again promises a diverse and in-depth exploration of the piano with a dazzling line-up of performers. This year’s repertoire includes works by composers ranging from Chaminade to Stravinsky, from Liszt to Robert B. Sherman, showcasing the true versatility of the instrument.
In 2025, we welcome back many distinguished names to the festival with Sir Stephen Hough, Víkingur Ólafsson and Nikolai Lugansky all returning to give recitals. We are delighted to welcome Sophie Pacini, Andrey Gugnin, Akiko Ebi and Isata Kanneh-Mason who will be making their Oxford Piano Festival debuts.
As well as experiencing these wonderful performers in recital, our masterclass programme offers young pianists the opportunity to learn from the wisdom of greats of the piano world and audiences the chance to hear up-and-coming pianists in our Participants’ Recital. This year’s professors include Kathryn Stott, Stanislav Ioudenitch, Stephen Kovacevich, Arie Vardi, Ashley Wass and Rustem Hayroudinoff. A first for the Oxford Piano Festival, we are thrilled to include a workshop with Lydia Connolly for our participants where she will discuss vital questions young musicians may face on entering a career in classical music.
Join us this summer as we return once again to explore the art of piano playing in all its guises.
Masterclass Schedule 2025
JdP Music Building, St Hilda's College, Oxford
Tickets £12.50
Breaks with complimentary tea and coffee: 11:30 11:50 and 16:30 16:50. The repertoire list for the masterclasses will be available to view on our website from 19 July 2025.
Saturday 26 July
13:00 — 14:00 Registration
14:30 — 17:50 Kathryn Stott
Sunday 27 July
9:30 — 12:50 Kathryn Stott
14:30 — 17:50 Rustem Hayroudinoff
Monday 28 July
9:30 — 12:50 Rustem Hayroudinoff
14:30 — 17:50 Stephen Kovacevich
Tuesday 29 July
9:30 — 12:50 Stephen Kovacevich
14:00 — 15:30 'What's it all about?' — workshop with Lydia Connolly
15:50 — 17:50 Sir Stephen Hough
Wednesday 30 July
9:30 — 12:50 Marios Papadopoulos
14:30 — 17:50 Arie Vardi
Thursday 31 July
9:30 — 12:50 Marios Papadopoulos
14:30 — 17:50 Arie Vardi
Friday 1 August
9:30 — 12:50 Akiko Ebi
14:30 — 17:50 Stanislav Ioudenitch
Saturday 2 August
9:30 — 12:50 Stanislav Ioudenitch
14:30 — 17:50 Ashley Wass
Sunday 3 August
9:30 — 12:50 Marios Papadopoulos
Isata Kanneh-Mason
Saturday 26 July
Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 26
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, Op. 35
Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
Marios Papadopoulos conductor
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18
Supported by an anonymous donor
Sophie Pacini
Sunday 27 July
Holywell Music Room, 19:30
Schubert Sonata in A minor, D. 784
Mozart Fantasia in D minor, K. 397
Chaminade Romance No. 1 in B minor, Op. 76
Schubert Impromptu in A flat major, Op. 142 No. 2
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D flat major
Liszt Consolations, S. 172, Nos 1 and 2
Liszt Overture to Tannhäuser, S. 442
Sophie Pacini piano
Tickets £30
Víkingur Ólafsson
Monday 28 July
Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30
Beethoven Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
Beethoven Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
Beethoven Sonata No. 32 in C major, Op. 111
Víkingur Ólafsson piano
Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15
Nikolai Lugansky
Tuesday 29 July
Merton College Chapel, 19:30
Beethoven Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2, ‘Tempest’
Schumann Carnaval Scenes from Vienna, Op. 26
Wagner (arr. Brassin/Lugansky) Entry of the Gods into Valhalla, Scene 4
Wagner (arr. Brassin) Magic Fire Music, Act III Scene 3 from 'Die Walküre'
Wagner (arr. Lugansky/Kocsis) Transformation Music & Finale from 'Parsifal '
Liszt Legend No. 2, ‘St Francis of Paola walking on the waves’
Nikolai Lugansky piano
Tickets £30 £12 (unsighted)
Sir Stephen Hough
Wednesday 30 July
Christ Church Cathedral, 19:30
Chaminade Automne, Autre Fois, Les Sylvains
Liszt Sonata in B minor, S. 178
Schumann Carnaval, Op. 9
Sherman (arr. Hough) Mary Poppins Suite
Sir Stephen Hough piano
Tickets £30 £12 (unsighted)
Andrey Gugnin
Thursday 31 July
St John the Evangelist Church, 19:30
Tchaikovsky (arr. Pletnev) Nutcracker Suite for Solo Piano
Stravinsky Petrushka, 3 movements
Tchaikovsky (arr. Pletnev) Sleeping Beauty Suite for Solo Piano
Stravinsky (arr. Agosti) Infernal Dance, Berceuse and Finale from The Firebird
Andrey Gugnin piano
Tickets £30 £24 £16 £12 (restricted view)
Participants’ Recital
Friday 1 August
JdP Music Building, 19:30
The Festival’s participants take to the stage with fresh guidance from the world’s most esteemed pianists echoing in their ears. Be sure not to miss this showcase of outstanding talent from rising stars of the piano world.
Tickets £12
Akiko Ebi
Saturday 2 August
St John the Evangelist Church, 19:30
Fauré Theme and Variations, Op. 73
Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin
Chopin 24 Préludes, Op. 28
Akiko Ebi piano
Tickets £30 £24 £16 £12 (restricted view)
Lydia Connolly
Board Director with international arts management company HarrisonParrott for over thirty years, Lydia was worldwide general manager for a prestigious roster of instrumentalists, conductors and composers. She was Head of Inclusion and Access at HP and continues as a Trustee of the HarrisonParrott Foundation. Lydia is now working as an independent consultant focused on mentoring both musicians and music industry professionals. Lydia was the first woman to read Music as an undergraduate at New College, Oxford — during which time she also qualified as a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (violin). She is an alumna of the Strategic Leadership Programme at Saïd Business School Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Lydia has been a Board Member of the International Artist Managers’ Association as well as a long-standing member of the IAMA Broadcasting and Media Committee.
Akiko Ebi attended Tokyo University of the Arts and graduated from the Paris Conservatoire. She won the 2nd Grand Prix in the Marguerite Long, 5th prize in the Chopin Competition. She has performed in 38 countries with ensembles including the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, NHK & all the leading Japanese orchestras, and in Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Argentina and Chile, working with conductors such as Brüggen, Skrowaczewski, Janowski, Guschlbauer, Foster and Sado. In addition to two-piano recitals with Martha Argerich, she has collaborated with artists Gitlis, Dumay, Pasquier, Hewitt, the Morauges Quintet, Quartets as Parisii, Manfred and Via Nova. Ebi appears annually at many prestigious festivals in Europe, Japan and the US. She has recorded CDs of Chopin’s complete Études, Preludes, Nocturnes, Impromptus, E minor Concerto, as well as works by Grieg, Franck, Ravel, Fauré, Webern and Lekeu. She was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in France, received the Gloria Artis medal in Poland, and Exxon-Mobile Music Prize & Cultural Affairs Comissioner’s Award in Japan. She is the president of the Japan Chopin Society.
Moscow-born concert pianist Andrey Gugnin is rapidly gaining international acclaim as a passionately virtuosic performer, who possesses an ‘extraordinarily versatile and agile technique, which serves an often inspired musical imagination’ (Gramophone). In 2020, the BBC Music Magazine Awards named Andrey the winner of the Instrumental category for his recording of Shostakovich Preludes and Piano Sonatas on Hyperion Records. Since winning the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition in 2016, Andrey has gone from strength to strength in concerts and recordings which exhibit his impassioned interpretations. In demand as a concert soloist, Andrey has been invited to perform as a guest artist with notable orchestras across the globe, such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. As a recording artist, Andrey has published a broad scope of repertoire, ranging from works for solo piano to concertos. His release of Liszt’s Transcendental Studies (Piano Classics, 2018) was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. His recording of Shostakovich concertos (Delos International, 2007) was featured in the soundtrack of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Bridge of Spies. His most recent disc, Holberg Suite – Ballade & Lyric Pieces, was released in May 2024 with Hyperion.
Akiko Ebi
Andrey Gugnin
Rustem Hayroudinoff
Described by Gramophone as ‘musicianly to the core’ and ‘a true virtuoso’ and by BBC Music Magazine as ‘equal even to the greatness of Richter’, Rustem Hayroudinoff has performed to critical acclaim in Japan, the USA, Latin America, Canada, Russia and Europe. He has appeared with such orchestras as BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, NHK Symphony and Czech Philharmonic, and has collaborated with some of the world’s most prominent conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Marin Alsop and Gianandrea Noseda. Hayroudinoff has recorded for Chandos, EMI and Onyx Classics. His CD of the complete Rachmaninoff Preludes was selected by Classic FM Magazine as part of its ‘Essential Rachmaninoff Collection’ together with the recordings of Arthur Rubinstein and André Previn. The disc of the complete Études-Tableaux was hailed as a ‘benchmark recording’ and became BBC Music’s Instrumental Choice of the Month, as well as being nominated for the Best Instrumental CD of the Year award. It was also selected as the finest existing version of these pieces by BBC Radio 3’s ‘Building a Library’. Rustem is currently a professor of piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Sir Stephen Hough
Named by The Economist as one of Twenty Living Polymaths, Sir Stephen Hough combines a distinguished career of a concert pianist with those of a composer and writer. In recognition of his contribution to cultural life, he became the first classical performer to be given a MacArthur Fellowship, and was awarded a Knighthood for Services to Music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022. He began his 2024/25 concert season with his 30th appearance at the BBC Proms, performing at Last Night of the Proms to a live audience of 6,000 and a televised audience of 3.5 million. Over the course of the following 12 months, Hough performs over 80 concerts on four continents, opening Philharmonia Orchestra’s season at the Royal Festival Hall, performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, performing a solo recital at Barbican Centre and giving the world premiere of his Willa Cather-inspired Piano Quintet at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. Following the 2024 world premiere of his own Piano Concerto (The World of Yesterday), named after Stefan Zweig’s memoir, Hough brings the work to Adelaide, Bournemouth, Oregon, Singapore and Vermont Symphony Orchestras.
Born in Uzbekistan, Stanislav Ioudenitch rose to international prominence in 2001 when he won the gold medal at the XI Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. This victory launched an illustrious career with performances in premier venues worldwide. He has collaborated with renowned orchestras, including the Munich Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.; esteemed string quartets such as the Takács, Prazák, and Borromeo; and distinguished conductors like James Conlon, Valery Gergiev, and Mikhail Pletnev. In addition to his performing career, Ioudenitch is a dedicated educator. He is the founder, Artistic Director, and professor of piano at the International Center for Music at Park University in Kansas City. He also teaches at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and was recently appointed to The Fundación Banco Santander Piano Chair at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid, Spain. His students have won top prizes at prestigious international competitions, including the Van Cliburn, Tchaikovsky, Géza Anda, and Queen Elisabeth competitions.
Stanislav Ioudenitch
Isata Kanneh-Mason
Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason offers eclectic and interesting recital programmes with repertoire spanning Haydn to Gershwin and beyond. In concerto, she is equally at home in Felix Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann as in Prokofiev and Dohnányi. Isata is in high demand from concert halls and orchestras worldwide. Following her phenomenally successful concerto debut at the BBC Proms in 2023, she was invited to open the festival in July 2024 with the BBC Symphony and conductor Elim Chan, a performance which resulted in stellar reviews in the mainstream press. Isata appeared as concerto soloist with the European Union Youth Orchestra and Iván Fischer in summer 2024 performing at Carnegie Hall, New York, the Grafenegg Festival, and Bolzano Festival Bozen. Highlights of the 2024/25 season include Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto at the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie’s FREISPIEL festival and at the Ulster Orchestra’s season opening concert; and Prokofiev’s Third Concerto with the Chineke! Orchestra on tour at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the Berliner Philharmonie, Brussels’s BOZAR and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Solo recital appearances include the Lucerne Festival, Piano aux Jacobins Toulouse, the Schumann-Haus Düsseldorf, PHIL Haarlem, and on tour across the USA. Isata records exclusively for Decca Classics.
Stephen Kovacevich is widely recognised as one of the most revered artists of his generation. With an international career spanning more than six decades, he has long been one of the most admired interpreters of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Schubert. Kovacevich made his European debut at Wigmore Hall in 1961. Since then, he has performed with the world’s finest orchestras and conductors, including Georg Solti, Bernard Haitink, Kurt Masur, Simon Rattle and Colin Davis. As a dedicated chamber musician, Stephen Kovacevich has worked with such legendary artists as Jacqueline du Pré and Josef Suk, as well as the Amadeus and Cleveland Quartets. Today he collaborates with violinists Nicola Benedetti, Renaud Capuçon and Alina Ibragimova, cellists Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis and Truls Mørk, flautist Emmanuel Pahud, the Belcea Quartet and the distinguished duo with Martha Argerich.
Nikolai Lugansky
Pianist Nikolai Lugansky is renowned for his interpretations of Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Chopin and Debussy. He has received numerous awards for recordings and artistic merit. He collaborates regularly with conductors of the calibre of Kent Nagano, Yuri Temirkanov, Manfred Honeck, Gianandrea Noseda, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Vasily Petrenko, Lahav Shani and he is invited by leading international orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orquestra Nacional de España. Described by Gramophone as ‘the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all’, in 2023, Nikolai Lugansky celebrated the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s birth by performing cycles of monographic programs at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Wigmore Hall in London, along with other performances throughout Europe. Lugansky is Harmonia Mundi’s exclusive artist. His latest recording ‘Richard Wagner: Famous Opera Scenes’ was released in March 2024 (included in The Best Classical Albums of the Year by Gramophone) and won the Premio Abbiati del Disco 2024 for solo repertoire.
Stephen Kovacevich
Vikingur Ólafsson
Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has captured public and critical imagination to become one of the most sought-after artists of today. His recordings have led to over one billion streams and he has won numerous awards, including BBC Music Magazine Album of the Year, Opus Klassik Solo Recording of the Year (twice) and a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. In a landmark move, Ólafsson devoted his entire 2023/24 season to a world tour of a single work: J.S.Bach’s Goldberg Variations, performing it 88 times to great critical acclaim. The 2024/25 season will see Ólafsson as Artist-in-Residence with Tonhalle Zürich and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, as well as Artist-in-Focus at Vienna Musikverein. He joins forces with Yuja Wang for a highly anticipated two-piano recital tour across Europe and North America and, in January 2025, will give the world premiere of John Adams’s After the Fall with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, a piano concerto written especially for him. In spring 2025, Ólafsson will perform his new piano recital, the last three sonatas of Beethoven on multiple dates across the US and Europe.
Sophie Pacini
Sophie Pacini is celebrated for her emotional depth, described by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung as ‘never an end in itself: everything remains play, art, and reflection—surprising and illuminating at every moment.’ Praised by MDR Kultur as ‘the ideal interpreter for 19th century piano music,’ she has captivated audiences since her concert debut at age eight. After graduating with honors from the Mozarteum Salzburg’s institute for highly gifted students, Sophie has performed in some of the world’s most renowned venues, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Konzerthaus, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Paris’s La Seine Musicale, and Munich’s Herkulessaal. She has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Dresden Philharmonic, and Tokyo Philharmonic. Her accolades include the ECHO Klassik (2015), International Classical Music Award (2017), and the Prix Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad. Deeply passionate about outreach, Sophie engages younger generations through innovative formats on German radio Deutschlandfunk and SWR. She shares a close artistic friendship with Martha Argerich and, since 2023, Sophie is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Marios Papadopoulos
Marios Papadopoulos is the Founder of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oxford Piano Festival. He has appeared in many of the world’s most prestigious venues and worked with a host of eminent musicians including Evgeny Kissin, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maxim Vengerov, Martha Argerich and Lang Lang. His many recordings feature works by Beethoven, Mozart, Mussorgsky, César Franck, Stravinsky and the 24 Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich. He conducts the Oxford Philharmonic in recordings of the Brahms and Sibelius violin concertos with Maxim Vengerov with whom he has also recorded the complete Brahms Violin Sonatas. In recent years, Maestro Papadopoulos has concentrated his work mainly in Oxford with the OPO. Rare guest appearances have included a UK tour with the LPO and a Mozart Piano Concerto cycle directed from the keyboard with the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he conducted a new production of the Marriage of Figaro for the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Athens. Marios holds a doctorate in music from the City University, is a Fellow by Special Election of Keble College, Oxford and has been awarded an MBE for services to music in Oxford.
Kathryn Stott
‘At the age of five, I made friends with the upright piano in our living room. That was the beginning of my musical journey, one which continues as you read this. Studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music led me abruptly into the life of a professional musician via the Leeds International Piano Competition and onto a steep learning curve. After a rollercoaster three years, I realised that I needed to re-connect with chamber music in a bid to feel more connected to other musicians and when, quite by chance, I met Yo-Yo Ma in 1978, it turned out to be one of the most fortuitous moments of my life and led to a longstanding collaboration. There are too many highlights in my career to mention. Yes, it was a thrill to perform at the Last Night of the Proms, but equally a massive thrill to have lit up twenty small faces in an inner city school while they jumped up and down to energetic piano music! Working with young musicians is something I feel passionate about and I’ve also had some truly exciting music written for me by composers. What an unbelievable privilege it is to be immersed in a language which has no boundaries and has allowed me to share musical stories on a global scale; that little upright piano set me on quite a path!’
Beginning his artistic career at the age of fifteen, Israeli born Arie Vardi went on to receive acclaim as one of the country’s foremost pianists. After winning the Chopin Competition in Israel, he appeared with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta; and upon winning the George Enescu International Competition in Bucharest, he played numerous concerts throughout Europe. Alongside his study of music at the Rubin Academy he succeeded in achieving a degree in law at Tel Aviv University. Vardi has performed widely as soloist with major orchestras under the baton of Semion Bychkov, Sergio Commissiona, Gustavo Dudamel, Lukas Foss, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Paul Paray, Paul Sacher, David Zinman and David Robertson, among others. Concert tours have taken him to Australia, Europe, the Far East, Latin America and the United States. He played together with Yo-Yo Ma, Radu Lupu, Joseph Silverstein, Yefim Bronfman, Pnina Salzman, Murray Perahia and András Schiff. In addition to his concert career, Vardi is a professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover and at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, where he served as Director and Chair of the piano faculty. Over 60 of his students have won first prizes at international competitions.
Described as an ‘endlessly fascinating artist’, Ashley Wass’s musical career is one of unusual creativity and variety. Alongside his work as soloist and chamber musician, he is co-founder of Mash Productions, was Artistic Director of the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival for eleven years, has devoted over 15 years to music education, and is currently the Director of Music at the Yehudi Menuhin School. The diverse list of people and organisations with whom he has collaborated include film festivals, art galleries and animators, children’s television presenters and stars of the stage and screen, illustrators, literary festivals and renowned authors, and mime artists and comedians. His watershed moment came in 1997 when he won the London International Piano Competition (the only British winner this far), a success that led to a recording contract with Naxos, making him the first solo artist to obtain an exclusive deal with the label. His debut recording was a highly praised CD of César Franck piano music, released in 1999. He was also a prizewinner at the Leeds Piano Competition, and is a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.
Arie Vardi
Ashley Wass
Oxford Piano Festival
The Oxford Piano Festival was founded in 1999 by Marios Papadopoulos, renowned pianist and Music Director of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Each year, the Festival welcomes piano players and pedagogues, experts and enthusiasts to some of Oxford’s most historic venues, such as Sir Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre, the Holywell Music Room, and Christ Church Cathedral.
The Oxford Piano Festival takes place in the last week of July, on the tranquil and scenic campus of St Hilda’s College, Oxford, home of the JdP Music Building, and located just a few minutes’ walk from the city centre.
The Oxford Piano Festival’s objective is simple: to inspire, support and encourage music-making at the piano of the highest quality. Welcoming world-renowned soloists and teachers each year, the Festival provides gifted young players with a rare opportunity to perform and to learn new repertoire, and to work alongside and learn from some of the world’s finest pianists and teachers
as part of a dedicated community of artists, encouraging exchange over competition.
The concept of the pianist as musician lies at the heart of the Festival. The various roles of the pianist – as virtuoso, chamber musician, accompanist, conductor, academic and teacher –are all examined. As part of this holistic approach, the various international schools of piano playing are considered.
With Alfred Brendel as the Festival’s Patron, Sir András Schiff as President, and the Festival’s founder Marios Papadopoulos a renowned pianist himself, the bar is set very high in terms of quality and artistic integrity.
Previous participants at the Festival have gone on to achieve great success. Notable alumni include Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2024), Alim Beisembayev (winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2021), Martin James Bartlett, Mark Viner, Alexander Ullman, Mishka RushdieMomen and Denis Kozhukhin.
Support the Oxford Piano Festival
Nurturing and developing emerging artists from diverse backgrounds
The Oxford Piano Festival attracts the very best young artists globally to participate in a week’s programme of masterclasses and concerts with distinguished pianists. Since 1999, the Festival has provided a springboard for young people who are on the verge of exciting careers. Join us for the 2025 Festival and help support emerging young artists with extraordinary performance opportunities and unique tutoring from world-leading pianists.
General Support
Donate to masterclasses that explore the various schools of piano playing, provide students with new approaches to their artform, and help them to become well-rounded performers. Inspirational concerts and events featuring renowned artists provide life-changing experiences to these up-and-coming pianists.
Scholarship
With philanthropic support, we are able to offer full scholarships to participants. In this way, we ensure fair access to talent pathways into classical music, thereby promoting the diversity within the pipeline of emerging pianists.
Legacy
A legacy would support the Piano Festival and the Orchestra’s educational programmes with emerging artists.
If you would like the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra (Registered Charity no. 1084256) to thrive in every aspect, please consider making a bequest in your Will. To donate or learn more about how to support, please contact Jemma Crossley on 01865 987 222 or at jemma@oxfordphil.com.
‘I consider myself very fortunate to have participated in the Oxford Piano Festival in summer of 2023. It was a rich and formative experience to benefit from the instruction and insight of some of the world’s most esteemed artists in the picturesque city of Oxford. The exceptional evening concerts remain vivid in my memory, and were a profound source of inspiration for me during my time at the festival. The environment was greatly enhanced by the passion and enthusiasm of my fellow student participants, with whom I remain good friends. I would strongly recommend the festival to any aspiring young artists!’
Jaeden Izik-Dzurko – Winner of the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition
Information for Participants
Tuition:
All participants receive four one-hour lessons in public masterclasses with four professors of the Piano Festival Faculty and perform a piece at the Participants’ Recital. Although we try to accommodate participants’ choice of teachers, we cannot guarantee that everyone will receive tuition from their preferred professors.
Participants are provided with a Festival Pass which offers entry to all events.
Entry Requirements:
We welcome applications from advanced piano students (of at least Diploma standard) of all nationalities born on or after 26 July 1998.
Practice Pianos:
Festival participants may practise for up to three hours per day in the JdP Music Building.
Scholarships:
We understand that for some participants the cost may be out of reach. We welcome applications for a scholarship that will help with some or all of the cost. For one exceptional student, there is a full scholarship in memory of the great Menahem Pressler.
How to Apply
Filming:
Masterclasses at the Oxford Piano Festival may be filmed for Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra media content. Should they be filmed, participants of these masterclasses agree to footage from the festival remaining available to view online for two years from the date of publication.
Participants should apply via oxfordpianofestival.com/information-forapplicants or by scanning the QR code.
Fill in the application form at the bottom of the webpage, where you will submit a short biography and video links of yourself playing 10–15 minutes of standard repertoire.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by May 2025.
Application deadline 25 April 2025
General Information
Travel:
The Oxford Bus Company (01865 785 400 / www.oxfordbus.co.uk/airline) runs a coach service from Heathrow and Gatwick airports named ‘the airline’. Stagecoach runs a 24-hour coach service between Oxford and Central London (0345 241 8000 / www.oxfordtube. com). There are frequent rail services from London Paddington and London Marylebone to Oxford (information from National Rail Enquiries on 0345 748 4950 / www.nationalrail.co.uk). Our staff are happy to advise you about your journey to and from the Festival.
Transport to concerts:
All concerts are within walking distance (under 1 mile) of St Hilda’s College. The office can organise taxis at an additional cost for those who would prefer not to walk.
We advise against driving as there is no parking available within St Hilda’s College.
Arrival and Registration:
Festival staff will be at St Hilda’s College to welcome participants and observers and show them to their accommodation. Please aim to register at the JdP Music Building by 14:00 on Saturday 26 July.
Venue Information
Accommodation/meals:
Full board accommodation is available on site at St Hilda’s College. Meals start with dinner on 26 July and end with lunch on 3 August. Accommodation is subject to availability and allocated on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis. Requests for part-time accommodation at St Hilda’s will only be accepted, subject to availability, in early July.
Certificates:
Certificates of Attendance will be presented to all Festival Pass holders in the closing ceremony.
‘What’s
it all about?’
workshop with Lydia Connolly
Lydia Connolly leads a workshop which will address some of the most important questions facing young musicians on the brink of a career in classical music. What are the opportunities available within a complex ecosystem, how can they prepare themselves for a lifetime’s journey and in which ways might they bring value to the world of music and to music in the world. One size does not fit all.
Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church, St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1DP
Holywell Music Room Holywell Street, Oxford OX1 3SD
JdP Music Building St Hilda’s College, Cowley Place, Oxford OX4 1DY
Merton College Chapel 4 Merton Street, Oxford OX1 4JD
Sheldonian Theatre Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ
St John the Evangelist Church 109A Iffley Road, Oxford OX4 1EH
Prices
Festival Passes:
Participant £950
Observer £390
Please note that accommodation is not included in the Festival Passes and should be purchased separately.
Full-board single-room accommodation:
Standard £750 (with shared bathroom)
Ensuite £875 (with private bathroom)
Anniversary Building £975 (premium ensuite)
Full-board for 2 people sharing twin-room accommodation:
Standard £1,225 (with shared bathroom)
Ensuite £1,350 (with private bathroom)
Anniversary Building £1,500 (premium ensuite)
Festival events are open to the public.
Masterclasses £12.50 (no concessions)
Other events are priced individually
Book 7+ events for a 10% discount
Payment Deadline 4 July 2025
Cancellation Policy
Participants and observers who withdraw from the Festival will receive a refund of all but £50 if withdrawn by 4 July. Those who withdraw after 4 July will also have any additional expenses incurred by the Festival deducted from their refund.
How to Book
Tel: 01865 980 980
Email: boxoffice@oxfordphil.com
Online: oxfordpianofestival.com
Photography credits: Satoshi Aoyagi, Victoria Cadisch, Richard Cave, Simon Fowler / Warner Classics, Chris Gloag, Clare Park, Elishama Udorok, Hugh Warwick.
This brochure is published by Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd. Information is correct at time of going to press (January 2025). Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd reserves the right to change the date, time, artist, programme or venue of any event where unavoidable.
Observer Festival Pass Sign-Up Form
An Observer Festival Pass offers entry to all events and is provided upon arrival and registration.
You can purchase your Observer Festival Pass and full-board accommodation online at oxfordphil.com/shop or by calling +44 (0)1865 980 980.
Alternatively, please fill in this form and return no later than 4 July 2025 to Lydia Bennett, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, 29a Teignmouth Road, London NW2 4EB, or email Lydia Bennett at opoeducation@oxfordphil.com.
Title Name(s)
Address Postcode
Telephone E-mail Name(s)
Payment Methods
Online oxfordpianofestival.com
Cheque made payable to Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd
Debit/credit Card: please call +44 (0)1865 980 980
Online transfer (state your name as the payment reference and please note the full amount should be transferred net of bank charges)
Account Name: Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd
Account No: 8771 4957 Sort Code: 515001
Iban: GB40 NWBK 5150 0187 7149 57
Category
Observer Festival Pass (26 July to 3 August)
Standard single room + meals
En suite single room + meals
Anniversary Building en suite single room + meals
Standard twin room + meals (per room, 2 people sharing)
En suite twin room + meals (per room, 2 people sharing)
Anniversary Building en suite twin room + meals (per room, 2 people sharing) £1,500
I wish to make a donation to support the Festival
Total
Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Patron
HRH Princess Alexandra
Life Presidents
Geoffrey de Jager
Harry Leventis
Honorary President
The Rt Hon the Lord Patten of Barnes, CH
Vice President
Sir Victor Blank
Fellow
Alex Gorsky
Patron
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Piano Festival Patron
Alfred Brendel KBE
Piano Festival President
Sir András Schiff
Patron for New Music
Marina, Lady Marks
Music Director
Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Conducting Fellow
Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey
Composer-in-Residence
Alexey Shor
Oxford Philharmonic
Orchestra Trust
Registered Charity No. 1084256
Sir Ivor Roberts KCMG (Chair)
Geoffrey de Jager (Deputy Chair)
Dr Saphié Ashtiany
Marco Assetto
Raymond Blanc OBE
David Haenlein
Lord Hall
Dr Russell Hirshfield
Rasha Khawaja
Colin Maund
Dr Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Sir Jonathan Phillips
Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard
Lord Stewart
Prof. Christopher Wood
Advisory Council
Dr Saphié Ashtiany (Chair)
John Caunt
Prof. Michael Earl
Joanna Foster CBE
Peggotty Graham
Jeff Hewitt
Robert Jackson
Lord Krebs
Dr Jill Pellew
Sir Jonathan Phillips
Bob Price
Hilary Reid-Evans
Lady Stewart
Prof. Sir John Vickers
Angela Wade
David Whelton
Finance and Risk Committee
Colin Maund (Chair)
Prof. Michael Earl
David Haenlein
Jeff Hewitt
Tom Purves
Honorary Members
Lord Butler of Brockwell
Sir Jeremy Greenstock
Lady Heseltine
John Leighfield CBE
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus
Dr Michael Peagram
Prof. Reinhard Strohm
Francesca Schwarzenbach
George Tsavliris
Bruno Wang
Oxford Philharmonic
Orchestra Productions Ltd
Company No. 03592323
VAT No. 208 4077 20
Directors
Dr Saphié Ashtiany
Marco Assetto
David Haenlein
Anthi Papadopoulos
Dr Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Board Members,
American Friends of the Oxford Philharmonic
Joshua M Berman
Dr Russell Hirshfield
Dr Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Saundra Whitney
Christopher Wright
Advisory Council, American Friends of the Oxford Philharmonic
Alex Gorsky
Hon. Kerry Murphy Healey
Sir John Hood
Leila Larijani
Aviad Meitar
James Sherwood†, Chairman Emeritus
Executive Management
Music Director
Dr Marios Papadopoulos MBE
Chief Operating Officer
Anthi Papadopoulos
Education and Community Director
David Haenlein
Administration
Artistic Planning Manager
Janet Marsden
Orchestra Personnel
Manager
Ellie McCowan
Graphic Designer
Sam Woodland
Development Coordinator
Fiachra Kelleher
Development Officer
Jemma Crossley
Concerts Officer
Ellie Rayfield
Education Officer
Lydia Bennett
Ticketing and Events Officer
Carolina Abeledo Vilariño
Marketing Administrator
Maja Persson
Planning and Logistics Officer
Orlando Grant
Philanthropy Consultant
Ruth Ellul
Press and PR
Nicky Thomas Media
Friends and Patrons Liaison
John Caunt
Librarian
Helen Harris
Office Assistant
Marcello Palazzo
Stage Manager
Max Howard
