Season Brochure 2023/24

Music Director Marios Papadopoulos

Welcome from Marios Papadopoulos

Music Director

Twenty-five years ago, I acted on an unlikely dream to establish an orchestra in Oxford made up of handpicked musicians. I couldn’t have imagined that this passion project would evolve into a world-class symphony orchestra which enjoys relationships with some of the most distinguished musicians in the world.

It brings me particular pleasure that some of those musicians join us for this special season, which will see us perform in venues across Oxford and far beyond. Nigel Kennedy, Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mischa Maisky, Evgeny Kissin, Martha Argerich, James Ehnes, Janine Jansen and Sir Stephen Hough are among those artists who combine with soloists rather closer to home to ensure there is star quality in every one of this season’s concerts.

It’s not just the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra celebrating a major anniversary this year. A certain Sergei Rachmaninov was born 150 years ago in 1873, and the composer’s monumental music threads its way through our season from start to finish. Elsewhere, we welcome back John Wilson for a feast of British music and John Rutter, whose unrivalled expertise in Fauré’s exquisite Requiem will provide an insightful and unique musical experience.

As usual, our season has something for everyone.

Evgeny Kissin

Thursday 21 September 2023

Oxford Town Hall, 19:30

John Rutter Anniversary Greeting for the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra*

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47

Evgeny Kissin piano

John Rutter conductor*

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Under the greatest pressure, Shostakovich delivered his most supreme masterpiece. Condemned by the Soviet regime after his satirical opera Lady Macbeth, Shostakovich was ordered to write a symphony rejoicing in Stalin’s reign of terror. The result was a score poetic, sardonic and dramatic ending with a forced smile that proves the most shattering of climaxes. Before it, giant

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

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of the Russian piano school Evgeny Kissin joins Marios Papadopoulos for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, in which a lone virtuoso thunders against a surging orchestra in a heart-stopping musical narrative. John Rutter’s new work written for the Orchestra’s 25th birthday kicks off this titanic season opening at Oxford Town Hall.

World Party FUNomusica Family Concert

Sunday 1 October 2023

Oxford Town Hall, 15:00

Alasdair Malloy presenter

It’s party time! To celebrate the 25th birthday of the Oxford Philharmonic, Alasdair Malloy takes us to some of the best parties on the planet for fun at fiestas, carnivals, festivals and celebrations.

Tickets adults £10 children £4

Most suitable for ages 4−8

Pre-concert craft activities at 14:00

We’ll travel far and wide from Oxford to Europe, North America to South America! Wear your brightest party clothes and your dancing shoes!

In partnership with

Supported by Doris Field Charitable Trust

Mozart Masterpieces

Thursday 12 October 2023

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Mozart Overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384

Mozart Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216

Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543

Charlotte Scott violin

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Associate Concertmaster Charlotte Scott joins us for an evening of Mozart, this time the composer’s Violin Concerto No. 3 – a score characterised by grace and charm, until it tears into an Alsatian dance at the end. Before it we hear Mozart channelling the spirit of Turkey in one of his most characterful opera overtures,

Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15 (students from £5)

while afterward comes the Mozart symphony in which everything changed. The first of his final symphonic trilogy is a work from which the brooding opening spills music of the most infectious joy. Marios Papadopoulos and the Orchestra return to the Sheldonian Theatre for this celebration of the genius and joy of Mozart.

Nigel Kennedy: Bach Now!

Tuesday 7 November 2023

Forum Theatre, Malvern, 19:45

Wednesday 8 November 2023

Forum Theatre, Malvern, 19:45

Friday 10 November 2023

Olivier Hall, St Edward’s School, Oxford, 19:30

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

Sunday 12 November 2023

Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden, 16:00

Tuesday 14 November 2023

Barbican Hall, London, 19:30

Tickets £65 £45 £30 £18 (no fees through OPO box office)

Bach Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1042

Nigel Kennedy Melody in the Wind

Bach Concerto for Violin and Oboe in D minor, BWV 1060R

Bach Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041

Nigel Kennedy Fallen Forest

Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043 *

Nigel Kennedy violin/director

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny violin*

Nicholas Daniel oboe

Leipzig didn’t just draw the finest sacred music from Bach. When the composer took over the city’s secular music society Collegium Musicum, he produced a string of orchestral works in a flush of creativity. Among them were the composer’s violin concertos – concise, mature scores in which his characteristic focus seems somehow even more intense. Violin legend Nigel Kennedy

plays Bach’s solo concertos here and is joined by our outstanding Associate Concertmaster Anna-Liisa Bezrodny for the composer’s celebrated Double Concerto with its monumental slow movement. Oboe supremo Nicholas Daniel is on hand for the ‘original’ oboe version of the concerto you might know better in its version for two harpsichords.

Tchaikovsky Piano Trio

Saturday 18 November 2023

Holywell Music Room, 19:30

Beethoven Piano Trio in G major, Op. 1 No. 2

Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50

Members of the Oxford Philharmonic Marios Papadopoulos piano

Tchaikovsky once dismissed the combination of piano, violin and cello as unworkable. But when his friend and mentor Nikolai Rubinstein died, Tchaikovsky changed tack dramatically. In Rubinstein’s memory, a piano trio of extraordinary potency and profundity emerged deep from within Tchaikovsky’s soul. The resulting work is symphonic in scale and theatrical in drama,

Tickets £30 (students £5)

combining heroism and euphoria with the deepest human pain and pathos. Marios Papadopoulos joins members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra to traverse the two colossal movements of Tchaikovsky’s chamber music masterpiece, after opening with the elegant piano trio from Beethoven’s very first opus.

Rachmaninov Two

Thursday 23 November 2023

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Tchaikovsky Polonaise and Waltz from Eugene Onegin, Op. 24* Side-by-Side

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Lise de la Salle piano

Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey conductor*

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

There’s a reason Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is the most popular work of its kind ever written. From lonely chords, this iconic score hurtles towards a thundering climax via a succession of irresistible melodies – athletic one moment and heart-rending the next. Six years later, the composer freed himself from political turmoil with a stretch in Dresden that would become one of the most productive of his career. The standout result was a symphony powered by melody that encompasses infernal whirlwinds, passionate declarations of love and heartfelt reflections of peace. French pianist Lise de la Salle joins us for this feast of peak Rachmaninov, opening with livewire dances from his great forbear Tchaikovsky.

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Young Artists’ Platform

Pre-concert recital 18:30

Supported by The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

Beethoven Pastoral

Monday 4 December 2023

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture, Op. 26, ‘Fingal’s Cave’

Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending

Wagner Forest Murmurs from Siegfried, WWV 86C

Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, ‘Pastoral’

Leia Zhu violin

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Be transported from the urbane perfection of the Sheldonian Theatre into the mysteries of the forest, the wilds of the hills and valleys and the tempests of the open seas. Marios Papadopoulos conducts a concert filled with music inspired by nature, from Mendelssohn’s dizzying orchestral boat trip on heaving Scottish seas to the calm idylls of Wagner’s murmuring forest and the ‘silver chain of sound’ of Vaughan Williams’s soaring lark. The concert culminates in Beethoven’s symphonic visit to the Austrian countryside – in his own words, a ‘ramble for a while through bushes, woods, under trees, through grass, and around rocks,’ that includes storms, partying, feasting and dancing.

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Supported by Simon and Alison Ryde

Panel Discussion 18:30

Chaired by Cameron Hepburn, Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Oxford. Leading climate experts and musicians come together to discuss the inspiring effect of the natural world in music.

Free admission

Messiah

Monday 11 December 2023

Olivier Hall, St Edward’s School, 19:00

Handel Messiah, HWV 56

Harriet Burns soprano

Rebecca Leggett mezzo-soprano

Nick Pritchard tenor

James Atkinson baritone

Christ Church Cathedral Choir

Steven Grahl conductor

Even for a composer who tended to work quickly, Handel found himself in the grip of total inspiration when he came to write Messiah in the summer of 1741. ‘The power of the musical imagination, the wealth of ideas, the depth of inspiration, and the variety of invention continue to astonish,’ concluded the late Handel scholar Clifford Bartlett. Generations have concurred, and Messiah has held audiences awestruck for three centuries. In the striking architecture of the Olivier Hall at St Edward’s School, Steven Grahl of Christ Church conducts the orchestra and his own choir in a performance of Messiah – a Christmas essential not to be missed.

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Janine Jansen

Friday 15 December 2023

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Marcello Palazzo Trails * world premiere Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Schubert Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, ‘The Great’

Janine Jansen violin

Marcello Palazzo conductor*

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

From its monolithic opening theme kick-starting a cycle of inexorable momentum like a giant pendulum, to the breathless dash of its finale, Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 of 1828 offers one of the most riveting journeys of any symphonic work. Along the way he appears to push at the boundaries of his age with grinding harmonies, protruding limbs and unstoppable waltz-like rhythms. No wonder it attracted the title ‘Great’. Marios Papadopoulos conducts Schubert’s final symphony here having been joined by a true violin great, Janine Jansen, for the radiant song that is Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. The concert opens with a world premiere of a work selected from last year’s composers’ workshop, conducted by the composer himself.

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

Martha Argerich

Thursday 11 January 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

Friday 12 January 2024

Barbican Hall, 19:30

Tickets £65 £45 £30 £18 (no fees through OPO box office)

Programme to be announced

Martha Argerich piano

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Following sensational concerts in Oxford and Germany last season, Martha Argerich returns to perform with the Oxford Philharmonic with concerts in both Oxford and London.

The performances promise to dazzle with the sheer brilliance of this astonishing pianist and celebrate her wonderful relationship with the Orchestra.

The Fantastic Philharmonic Time Machine FUNomusica Family Concert

Sunday 14 January 2024

Oxford Town Hall, 16:00

Alasdair Malloy presenter

Join Alasdair Malloy and the Oxford Phil as they programme the Fantastic Philharmonic Time Machine to take us to some fascinating periods in history including Ancient Egypt, the Inca Empire and the Era of the Dinosaurs. Discover how one

Tickets adults £10 children £4

Most suitable for ages 4−8

Pre-concert craft activities at 15:00

famous composer needed some inspiration from the future for one of his most well-known pieces! A thrilling trip through time with amazing music to match.

In partnership with

Berlioz and Schumann

Thursday 18 January 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Berlioz Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict

Berlioz Les nuits d’été, Op. 7

Schumann Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61

Sophie Bevan soprano

Ryan Wigglesworth conductor

‘Drums and trumpets in C have been blaring in my head,’ wrote Robert Schumann in 1845, ‘I have no idea what will come of it.’ What came of it was the symphony we know as Schumann’s Second – a defiant, joyous and spiritually uplifting work that shared its key, its power and its rigour with the ‘Great’ symphony by Schubert (heard

Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15 (students from £5)

15 December) that helped inspire it. Before Schumann’s symphony Ryan Wigglesworth and Sophie Bevan delve into the extraordinary musical imagination of Hector Berlioz courtesy of the thrilling overture to his Shakespearean opera and his delectable songs on the theme of love passionate, unrequited and lost.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Saturday 27 January 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Vaughan Williams The Wasps Overture

Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85

Sullivan Overture Di Ballo

Delius Summer Night on the River

Haydn Wood London Landmarks

Coates Cinderella

Leonard Elschenbroich cello

John Wilson conductor

John Wilson brings his conducting wizardry to bear on some of the British music closest to his heart. Punctuated with buzzing overtures by Vaughan Williams and Sullivan, we hear orchestral pictures of Nelson’s Column, Horse Guards Parade and more from Haydn Wood; a serene interlude from Delius and Eric Coates’s London reimagining of the Cinderella story, the piece he considered ‘the best thing I have done’. At the heart of the concert is Leonard Elschenbroich’s performance of Elgar’s hard-hitting Cello Concerto, a work of brittle but beauteous lyricism that would herald the end of the age of innocence with passion and anger.

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Verdi String Quartet

Saturday 24 February 2024

Holywell Music Room, 19:30

Rossini String Sonata No. 3 in C major

Rossini String Sonata No. 6 in D major

Verdi String Quartet in E minor

Members of the Oxford Philharmonic

Verdi’s only score for instruments alone was written in a hotel room in Naples in 1873 and never intended for public consumption. The composer’s String Quartet has all the songful melodiousness, charming wit and fluent elegance of his operas –combined with the seriousness of a musician who knew his Haydn and Beethoven. At the other end of his life, the pre-teenage Rossini wrote a set of string sonatas that combine the youthful ardour of Mendelssohn with something altogether more saucy and Italian. Join our outstanding string players for this rare chance to hear intimate chamber music for strings by Italian composers famous for operas on a grand scale.

Tickets £30 (students £5)

Maxim Vengerov Conducts

Thursday 29 February 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Beethoven Egmont Overture, Op. 84 Side-by-Side

Haydn Symphony No. 104 in D major, Hob. I:104, ‘London’

Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny violin

Maxim Vengerov conductor

Not one, but two great violinists. Maxim Vengerov trades his fiddle for a baton for this concert in which we’re delighted to welcome our remarkable Associate Concertmaster Finnish-Estonian violinist

Anna-Liisa Bezrodny in music close to her heart – the violin concerto by the composer who defined Finland in sound, Jean Sibelius. The concerto Sibelius wrote as a surrogate for the virtuoso violin career he could never have is a work of inspiring focus and fortitude, the virtuosity of which is never just for show. Here it forms the culmination of a concert that opens with an arresting overture by Beethoven and Haydn’s best-known symphony.

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Fauré and Rutter Requiems

Thursday 28 March 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Rutter Requiem

Fauré Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 (ed. John Rutter)

Mary Bevan soprano

Gareth Brynmor John baritone

Choir of Merton College

John Rutter conductor

When Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem first appeared in Paris in 1888, it seemed to propose a whole new musical and religious philosophy. Far from the fire and brimstone of Verdi’s or even Mozart’s Requiems, Fauré’s is at its most powerful when at its most calm and reassuring. ‘It is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith

Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15 (students from £5)

in eternal rest,’ said the composer of the score’s clean lines, pure vocal textures and elegant orchestration. John Rutter, long associated with the score as its editor, leads the Orchestra and the Choir of Merton College for this performance of Fauré’s masterpiece of understatement, along with his own setting of the Latin Requiem.

Mozart Requiem

Thursday 11 April 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K. 482

Mozart Requiem in D minor, K. 626

Alexandra Lowe soprano

Rebecca Leggett mezzo-soprano

Thomas Elwin tenor

James Atkinson baritone

Schola Cantorum

Marios Papadopoulos piano/conductor

In contrast to Fauré’s Requiem heard just two weeks earlier at the Sheldonian Theatre, Mozart’s brims with music of the utmost imposition. In truth, there’s no need for contextual intrigue to heighten the drama and poignancy of Mozart’s Requiem, because the composer delivered both and more in his music in a piece that moves from the dark clouds of fate to the piercing light of optimism. After one of the composer’s most sophisticated piano concertos, Marios Papadopoulos conducts the Requiem here with the Schola Cantorum of Oxford and a first-class team of vocal soloists.

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Young Artists’ Platform

Pre-concert recital 18:30

James Ehnes Plays Schumann

Saturday 20 April 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Weber Overture to Oberon, J. 306

Schumann Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 129

Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97, ‘Rhenish’

James Ehnes violin

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Robert Schumann’s forceful imagination, his inquisitive mind, his passion for literature and his music of rare poetry exerted an influence on European creativity for decades. This concert culminates in one of the most propulsive symphonies ever written: Schumann’s captivating orchestral portrait of the deep and majestic River Rhine, complete with its splendid procession in salute to Cologne Cathedral. Before it, James Ehnes plays the composer’s Violin Concerto – a piece thought lost until it was discovered, with help from a séance, in the 1930s. In its intricate writing, Schumann’s work has been compared to the plotting characters in a play – precisely what Weber sought to achieve in the overture to his enchanting opera Oberon.

Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15 (students from £5)

Schubert Five

Thursday 16 May 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Mozart Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K. 447

Wagner Siegfried Idyll, WWV 103

Schubert Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485

Radek Baborák horn/conductor

In 1816, a teenage Franz Schubert briefly rebelled against the emotional overabundance of prevailing musical trends as established by Beethoven. Schubert’s musical reaction was his Symphony No. 5 – a piece in which we hear exemplified the principle of ‘dissolving in love’ which Schubert held so dear, and which seems to look backwards to the limpid, graceful and

Tickets £48 £38 £28 £15 (students from £5)

elegantly-proportioned music of Mozart. The most perfectly formed work Schubert had created to date is heard here alongside that of his forbear and an exquisite miniature from the master of majesty, Richard Wagner, as we welcome the Orchestra’s Solo Horn Radek Baborák as both soloist and conductor.

Two Celli

Saturday 18 May 2024

Holywell Music Room, 19:30

Works by Bach, Boccherini, Dvořák, Milhaud and Ireland

Peter Adams cello

Mats Lidström cello

Nicola Eimer piano

The combination of two celli with piano creates a powerful sound, close to a symphonic sound. It allows the cellists to remain within the singing register of the instrument. Our programme

Tickets £30 (students £5)

tonight starts with Bach and ends with a samba and a blues, with Boccherini, Dvořák, Milhaud and John Ireland in-between, performed by the Orchestra’s two Solo Celli.

Anne-Sophie Mutter

Sunday 26 May 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Violin Concerto to be announced

Wagner Prelude & Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde

Strauss Don Juan, Op. 20

Anne-Sophie Mutter violin

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Legendary violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter makes a welcome return to Oxford in what promises to be a phenomenal performance. Passion sings its way through the second half of the concert: ecstasy courses through Strauss’s depiction of the hedonist Don Juan, while love flows through the climactic tension of the most arresting orchestral music from Wagner’s opera on infatuation and transcendence, Tristan und Isolde

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

Beethoven Five

Thursday 30 May 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Farrenc Overture No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 24* Side-by-Side

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37

Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Garrick Ohlsson piano

Cayenna Pochione-Bailey conductor*

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

Beethoven had a transformative effect on both the symphony and the piano concerto, expanding the expressive range and physical dimensions of both. Few works demonstrate that better than the composer’s pivotal Piano Concerto No. 3 – in which the composer brings new drama and tension to the form – and the symphony with the most famous opening gambit

Tickets £54 £40 £30 £18 (students from £5)

Young Artists’ Platform

Pre-concert recital 18:30

in history. Beethoven’s Fifth is both a defiantly optimistic symphony and a manifesto for a new form of musical design that couldn’t help but influence future generations, not least the equally headstrong Louise Farrenc, whose music opens this concert. Garrick Ohlsson joins Marios Papadopoulos and the Orchestra for some of the most striking orchestral works of the 19th century.

Sir Stephen Hough

Thursday 20 June 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Brahms Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90

Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

Sir Stephen Hough piano

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

One of the great pianists of our time brings us one of the great piano concertos of all time.

Sir Stephen Hough, whose recording of the Rachmaninov concerto was a Sunday Times Record of the Year, joins Marios Papadopoulos to take on the Everest of the piano literature –the Russian composer’s ardent and immense Piano Concerto No. 3. Before it, a work both menacing and mellifluent, the exquisite picture of radiant beauty and dark foreboding that is Brahms’s Symphony No. 3. It will give the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra plenty of opportunity to display both its outstanding soloists and its warm, embracing sound.

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

Mischa Maisky

Thursday 27 June 2024

Sheldonian Theatre, 19:30

Henry Le Feber Robertson Oublié * world premiere

Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104

Dvořák Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, ‘From the New World’

Mischa Maisky cello

Cayenna Pochione-Bailey conductor*

Marios Papadopoulos conductor

When Dvořák first heard America’s spirituals and plantation songs, he wrote that they would form ‘the future music of this country’. Rather sooner, the spirit of those melodies made their way into Dvořák’s most popular work. In his ‘New World’ symphony, the composer wove the songs of native America into music of intense warmth, drama and spontaneity. Nature shines through this most gregarious music, but so does the sense of sadness and longing that also colours the composer’s wistful Cello Concerto – another moving product of the Czech composer’s years spent expatriated across the Atlantic. Musical icon Mischa Maisky joins Marios Papadopoulos and the orchestra for this concert of heartfelt letters from America. The second premiere selected from last year’s composers’ workshop opens the concert.

Tickets £60 £42 £32 £20 (students from £5)

Music on the Menu FUNomusica Family Concert

Sunday 30 June 2024

Oxford Town Hall, 16:00

Alasdair Malloy presenter

A fun-filled feast for all the family as master chef Alasdair Malloy leads the Oxford Philharmonic on a whisk round the kitchen and gets creative with the ingredients of the orchestra. Music to tickle your taste buds includes a healthy breakfast

Tickets adults £10 children £4

Most suitable for ages 4−8

Pre-concert craft activities at 15:00

from Edvard Grieg, a tea break with the Sugar Plum Fairy and a fabulous pizza and pasta feast for dinner. All this and a smorgasbord to choose from for lunch – this concert has all the right ingredients.

In partnership with

Make an Anniversary Gift to the Orchestra (Charity

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We are excited to present our 2023/24 season celebrating our Silver Jubilee. With a full schedule of concerts as well as ongoing education and community projects, the Orchestra has a lot of activities to fund which would be impossible to deliver without the generosity of our supporters.

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General Support

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Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Since 1998, the Oxford Philharmonic has brought inspirational performances to Oxford and beyond. The Orchestra prides itself on creating unique musical experiences, bringing new and engaging interpretations to well-loved works in the classical repertoire. Its continual search for excellence is underpinned by the uncompromising standards of its Founder and Music Director Marios Papadopoulos, who with some of the UK’s and Europe’s finest instrumental musicians has shaped the Orchestra’s distinctive sound.

The Oxford Philharmonic works regularly with some of the world’s greatest classical artists, among them Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Sir András Schiff, Evgeny Kissin and Sir Bryn Terfel.

Violinist Maxim Vengerov became the Oxford Philharmonic’s first ever Artist-in-Residence in 2013 for an unprecedented four seasons. Since then, Vengerov has performed with the Orchestra across the UK and recorded the violin concertos of Brahms and Sibelius, as well as leading an ensemble of OPO Principals in a recording of Mendelssohn’s Octet.

In addition to its annual concert season in Oxford, performances across the UK, family concerts and annual Piano Festival and Chamber Music Series, the Oxford Philharmonic is in growing demand internationally. It appeared at the Tivoli Festival in Copenhagen in June 2019 and, in June 2022, made its critically acclaimed US debut at Carnegie Hall.

In February 2023, the Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala concert at the Barbican, in which Maxim Vengerov played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Other engagements during the Orchestra’s Silver Jubilee year included concerts in Dubai in February 2023 and a tour of Germany and Austria, where the Orchestra made its debut at Musikverein, Vienna and at Isarphilharmonie, Munich with soloist Martha Argerich. An exciting 2023/24 season will see the Orchestra return to Dubai for six concerts and undertake a major tour of Japan.

In December 2020, the Orchestra filmed a concert in a tribute to all those working on developing a vaccine for Covid-19 at the University of Oxford, including the world premiere of John

Rutter’s Joseph’s Carol, commissioned for the occasion.

Since its founding, the Oxford Philharmonic has been firmly committed to outreach work, with projects taking music to areas of social and economic disadvantage, hospitals, Special Educational Needs schools, and partnerships with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. In December 2021 the Orchestra’s SubPrincipal Violin Jamie Hutchinson was awarded the prestigious Salomon Prize, a joint prize between the Royal Philharmonic Society and Association of British Orchestras, in recognition of the educational initiatives she spearheaded with the Orchestra during the pandemic.

The Oxford Philharmonic was appointed Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford in 2002, the first relationship of its kind between a symphony orchestra and a higher education institution. In this capacity, the Oxford Philharmonic offers tuition and performance opportunities to University students, including the Side-by-Side scheme, which provides

an opportunity for young musicians to perform within the ranks of a professional orchestra.

The Oxford Philharmonic has appeared on several recordings including albums of cello concertos by Shostakovich and Solo Cello Mats Lidström on BIS Records, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy; A Merton Christmas with the Choir of Merton College; Haydn’s The Creation with the Choir of New College; the Handel/Mendelssohn Acis and Galatea with Christ Church Cathedral Choir; and works by Nimrod Borenstein for Chandos. The Orchestra’s latest CD, The Enlightened Trumpet with soloist Paul Merkelo, was released on Sony Classical.

The Oxford Philharmonic recently signed a recording contract with the Apple-owned label Platoon to record a selection of Mozart’s symphonies in September 2023.

The Orchestra and its Music Director were awarded the City of Oxford’s Certificate of Honour in 2013, in recognition of their contribution to education and performance in Oxford.

Education and Community Work

Education and outreach are at the heart of the work of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. We are ambassadors for music education, nurturing and cultivating young talent, and helping children and young adults of all backgrounds to become involved in music.

Residency at the University of Oxford

Our unique Residency Programme at the University of Oxford offers a wide range of special benefits to the most gifted young musicians:

Ÿ Young Artists’ Platform

Ÿ Tuition Scheme

Ÿ Composers’ Workshop

Ÿ Orchestral Apprenticeship

Ÿ

Oxford Piano Festival

The Festival’s objective is 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 rising-star pianists from around the globe with a rare opportunity to work alongside and learn from some of the world’s finest pianists and teachers, as part of a dedicated community of artists which encourages exchange over competition.

Oxfordshire Concerto Competition

Ÿ Side-by-Side Scheme

Ÿ Collaborations with University of Oxford choirs

Ÿ Masterclass Series

‘A once in a lifetime experience and a dream come true to be able to learn from one of the very best [Maxim Vengerov].’

Wilmien Janse van Rensburg, University of Oxford alumna

Primary Schools and Special Schools

We are actively involved in bringing music to disadvantaged communities with high levels of unemployment, crime and social service intervention where there is little or no music education. We run in-house programmes with Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools and primary schools in ethnically diverse areas of the city. We host days of music-making and learning for children from across Oxfordshire. Here are two recent highlights:

The Afghan Songbook Project

We visited four schools, bringing three professional Afghan musicians and 25 total visiting Afghan students from bridging hotels to share the unique musical culture of Afghanistan through song. The workshops culminated in a pre-concert performance at the Sheldonian Theatre by 40 Afghan refugee children, received with both tears and a standing ovation.

Opera in a Week: Noah’s Flood

Four OPO musicians led a three-day opera project at Wood Farm Primary, a school with 55% non-native English-speaking students in a financially underprivileged area. 60 students participated, showcasing singing, improvisation, and choreography skills in a final performance for their families.

Hospitals

Over the years we have been very active in local hospitals and have established special relationships with a number of units in Oxford. Our workshops for patients of all ages, with both those physical and mental conditions, continue to be recognised for their significant therapeutic effects.

‘OPO brings high quality music to those who wouldn’t normally have access to it. Music has such a positive impact on staff and patients.’

Ruth Charity, Oxford Hospitals Charity

Booking Information for Concerts in Oxford

Box Office

Online: oxfordphil.com

Telephone: 01865 980 980 (Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00)

Email: boxoffice@oxfordphil.com

The box office at the Sheldonian Theatre opens 4 hours before each concert. The box office at all other venues opens 1 hour before each concert.

Opening Times

Doors open 30 minutes before the advertised concert start time and 10 minutes before a pre-concert event.

Booking Dates for Newly Announced Concerts (18 November, 4 & 11 December 2023 plus all 2024 concerts)

Monday 4 September 2023, 12:00 midday – Priority booking for Patrons and multi-buy purchases of 10+ concerts

Wednesday 6 September 2023, 12:00 midday – Priority booking for Friends and multi-buy purchases of 6+ concerts

Monday 11 September 2023, 12:00 midday – General booking

Priority booking for multi-buy purchases by telephone only

Multi-buy and Group Bookings

Book 6–9 concerts and save 10%.

Book 10+ concerts and save 15%. Book 10+ tickets for one concert and save 10%.

Discounts cannot be combined and must be booked in one transaction. Multi-buy tickets cannot be refunded and can only be exchanged for events within the same season.

Concessions

Under 18s (for newly announced concerts) and full-time students receive £5 tickets in the lowest price band or a £5 discount for all other price bands through generous contributions to our Concert Ticket Access Fund for Students. For the concerts on 21 September, 12 October, 10 November, 23 November and 15 December 2023, under 18s save 50% on all tickets.

Registered disabled and wheelchair users with one companion save 50%. Unemployment benefit claimers save £5 on full-price tickets.

Special Requirements

All our venues have disabled access and facilities. If you require a wheelchair space or have specific access or seating requirements, please call the box office so that we can advise you on the best seating arrangement for your needs.

Latecomers

We will do our best to admit latecomers whenever possible at an appropriate point in the performance. Latecomers will be seated in a designated area until the interval, when they can take their allocated seat.

Unreserved Seating

Unreserved seating entitles you to a seat within your chosen area rather than a specific seat. Sponsors and those with disabilities are entitled to reserved seating in these areas, allocated at the Orchestra’s discretion.

Refunds and Conditions of Sale

Tickets may be exchanged for another concert or a credit voucher (valid for six months) if returned at least two weeks before the concert. Refunds can only be given if a concert is sold out or cancelled; an administration fee of £2 per ticket will apply. Please note that children under the age of 6 cannot be admitted to OPO concerts, with the exception of FUNomusica family concerts. Children over the age of 2 years require a ticket for family concerts.

We reserve the right to refuse admission and to change the date, time, artist, programme or venue of any event where unavoidable.

Please see our website for full T&Cs and FAQs.

Privacy Policy

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to ensuring that your personal data is protected. We use the information that we collect about you in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. This privacy policy sets out how we use and protect any information that you share with us.

Venue Information

Barbican Hall

Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS

Holywell Music Room

Holywell Street, Oxford OX1 3SD

Forum Theatre, Malvern

Grange Road, Malvern WR14 3HB

Olivier Hall, St Edward’s School

Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 7BG

Oxford Town Hall

St Aldate’s, Oxford OX1 1BX

Saffron Hall

Audley End Road, Saffron Walden CB11 4UH

Sheldonian Theatre

Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ

Sheldonian Theatre Seating Plan

Chairs (unreserved, cushioned chair with cushioned backrest)

Row A (cushioned bench with wooden backrest)

Lower Gallery (cushioned bench with cushioned backrest)

Semi-Circle (cushioned bench with no backrest)

Upper Gallery (unreserved, cushioned bench with wooden backrest)

Area Balcony (unreserved, cushioned bench with no backrest)

Stewards Gallery (unsighted & unreserved, cushioned bench with cushioned backrest)

The Sheldonian Theatre was constructed between 1664 and 1669, and is a Grade I listed building. Please note that there are no lift facilities and that the majority of seats are benches, some without backrests. If you require a wheelchair space, have any access requirements or questions about seating, please contact the box office on 01865 980 980.

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

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

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

Prof. Michael Earl

David Haenlein

Lord Hall

Dr Russell Hirshfield

Sir George Iacobescu CBE

Rasha Khawaja

Lady Lipworth CBE

Dr Marios Papadopoulos MBE

Sir Jonathan Phillips

Prof. Sir Andrew Pollard

Lord Stewart

Advisory Council

Dr Saphié Ashtiany (Chair)

Emma Chamberlain OBE

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

Prof. Michael Earl (Chair)

David Haenlein

Jeff Hewitt

Colin Maund

Tom Purves

Honorary Members

Lord Butler of Brockwell

Sir Jeremy Greenstock

Lady Heseltine

John Leighfield CBE

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus

Sir Michael Parkinson CBE

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

Russell Hirshfield

Marios Papadopoulos MBE

Faanya Rose

Saundra Whitney

Christopher Wright

Advisory Council, American Friends of the Oxford Philharmonic

Alex Gorsky

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

Design/Office Manager

Larisa Afrić

Planning Manager

Janet Marsden

Orchestra Personnel Manager

Ellie McCowan

Development Coordinator

Fiachra Kelleher

Development Officer

Jemma Crossley Logistics Officer

Ellie Rayfield

Marketing Administrator

Megan Cunnington

Ticketing and Events Officer

Lydia Skrentny

Education Officer

William Emery

Project Consultant

Andrew Connolly

Associate

Stephen Browning

Philanthropic Consultancy Support

Global Philanthropic Press and PR

Nicky Thomas Media

Friends and Patrons Liaison

John Caunt

Librarian

Helen Harris

Stage Manager

Max Howard

Donors and Benefactors

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Trust (charity No. 1084256) acknowledges with deep gratitude the financial contributions made over the last twelve months by the following:

Individuals

Platinum Benefactors

Geoffrey & Caroline de Jager

Gold Benefactors

Anonymous, Prof. Paul Davies & Dr Saphié Ashtiany, Marco & Francesca Assetto, Bahaeddine & Gabriella Bassatne, Prof. Raymond Dwek CBE & Mrs Sandra Dwek, David Haenlein, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, Colin & Rosemary

Maund, Simon & Alison Ryde, Christopher Wood

Silver Benefactors

Jon & Julia Aisbitt, Jaquine & Robert Arnold, Sir Victor & Lady Blank, Dr John & Baroness Ruth Deech, Jeff & Pauline Hewitt, Lady Horton, Matthew James, Sir Sydney Lipworth KC & Lady Lipworth CBE, Dr Michael Peagram, Bjarne & Yvonne Rieber, Alfiya Stolyarenko, David & Elizabeth Ure, Lady Wolfson

Benefactors

Anonymous, Lady Aird, Henry & Ruth Amar, Damian Arnold, Raymond Blanc, John & Chris Caunt, Dr Peter Collins, Eric Coutts, Michael & Heather Dalgleish, Peter Earl, Deborah & Antony Elliott OBE, Anita Higham OBE, Alun Evans & Hilary Reid Evans, Peggotty & Andrew Graham, Verne & Andrea Grinstead, Ron & Penny Gulliver, Lord & Lady Heseltine, Robert & Caroline Jackson, Mr & Mrs Aboudi Kosta, Mr & Mrs John Leighfield CBE, Constantine Logothetis, Amanda & David Milne KC, Dafna Meitar Nechmad & Amir Nechmad, Misha & Lis Petkevich, Sir Ivor & Lady Roberts, Faanya Rose, Sarina Russo, Jeremy Sillem, Hans & Cynthia So, Lord & Lady Stewart, Mike Thomas

Members

Aeonian Circle

Prof. Paul Davies & Dr Saphié Ashtiany, Maggie Copus, Hellios Information Ltd, Anita Higham OBE, David & Elizabeth Ure

Patrons

Stefanie Adami, John & Hilary Bach, Angela Beatson Wood, Mary Beattie, Dr Karen & Dr Eric Caines, Katherine Carpenter, Prof. David Coleman, Peter Coleman, Robert Coles, Charles & Gisela Cooper, N Dimsdale, Edward & Lynn Dowler, Svetlana Egorova, Blair Eldridge, John Faux, Christopher & Marian French, David & Elizabeth French, David Golding, Ailsa Granne, Valerie Hill, Dr Sally Hope, Chris & Nicola Hornby, Keith & Antoinette Jackson, Glen & Mandy James, Prof. Richard Jenkyns, Christina Kautzky, Sir David & Lady Keene, Prof. Martin Kemp, Sir Anthony

& Lady Kenny, Mr Michael Leech OBE & Dr Joyce Leech, Kaye & David Lillycrop, Anthony & Jenny Loehnis, Lord & Lady Londonderry, Eric & Clare Lowry, Roger Michel, J C Miller, Joy Morning, Andrew Norrie, Neil Pearson, Sir Nick & Lady Pearson, Mark & Jill Pellew, Dr David Pick, Derek & Muriel Pilkington, Tom & Hilde Purves, John Pool, Andrew & Bee Robb, Katherine Rodman, Michael Rouse CBE, Christine Sandall, Sander Schakelaar, Edward & Anne-Francoise Schneider, Ben & Emma Seymour, Michelle Shepherd-Barron, Alan Smith, Gregory & Susan Spence, Mark Sterling, Stephen Turner, Angela Wade, Michael & Christine Warburton, Dr Trudy Watt, Sam & Suzanne Webber

Trusts, Foundations, Institutions and Public Sector

Diamond Benefactors

A.G. Leventis Foundation

Platinum Benefactors

The Michael Bishop Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, H.K. Leventis Foundation

Gold Benefactors

Foyle Foundation, Bernard Morris Charitable Trust, The James & Shirley Sherwood Foundation, Thompson Family Charitable Trust

Silver Benefactors

Anonymous, Anonymous, Dorset Foundation, The R & S Cohen Foundation, Lord Leonard & Lady Estelle Wolfson Foundation, Michael Marks Charitable Trust, Thriplow Charitable Trust, Tolkien Trust

Benefactors

Calleva Foundation, The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Dalgleish Trust, Doris Field Charitable Trust, JFR Charitable Trust, The Tsukanov Family Foundation (TFF), David Ure 2013 Trust, The Wavendon Foundation

Patrons

The Stanton Ballard Charitable Trust

Corporates

Silver Benefactors

BMW UK, Hellios Information Ltd, Santander UK plc

Benefactor

All Souls College, John & Arthur Beare, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council

American Supporters

Diamond Benefactors

Dr Russell Hirshfield & Leila Larijani, Pfizer, Inc., Rosenblatt Charitable Trust, Kari Jonassen Tiedemann

Platinum Benefactor

Thomas A Barron, Barclays, Ruth & Joshua M Berman, Mary Jaharis, JP Morgan, Kallinikeion Foundation, Faanya Rose, Saundra Whitney, Christopher Wright

Gold Benefactors

Anonymous, CeCe & Lee Black, Elena & John Coumantaros, Zvi & Ofra Meitar Family Fund, Ruth Gjessing-Newman, Kerry Healey, Kristen & Kent Lucken, Zoya Raynes, Mr & Mrs Blake Samuels, Dee Schwab

Silver Benefactors

BofA Securities, Paula Begoun, Samantha & Nabil Chartouni, Lilli Forouraghi Charitable Trust, Mary Mochary Management Trust, Natalie Pray, Woods Stanton, Adam Zoia

Benefactors

Captain Lynn Danaher, JCC Foundation, Gavin Garrett, Birchtree Global, Helen Little, MAI VILMS Charitable Foundation, Linda Pedro, Aniko Gaal Schott, Robert Shaw, Daisy M Soros, Barbara Tober, Peter & Anna Tscherpine

Patrons

Rick Donner, Larry Miller, Antonia K Milonas, John Oden, Peter & Mary Jeanne Tufano, Sara Rose

Contact us Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, 29a Teignmouth Road, London NW2 4EB 01865 987 222 (general) | 01865 980 980 (box office) | info@oxfordphil.com | oxfordphil.com

American Friends of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Email: camilla@oxfordphil.org | Tel: + 212 729 0127 864 Lexington Avenue, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10065

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is a member of the Association of British Orchestras. This brochure is published by Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Productions Ltd. Information is correct at time of going to print (August 2023).

Brochure design by Larisa Afrić.

Photography credits: Apple and Biscuit, Marco Borggreve, F Broede, Sim Canetty-Clarke, Richard Cave, Benjamin Ealovega, Getty Images - David M Benett, Chris Gloag, InClassica, Samit Event Group, Grigoriy Yaroshenko, Frances Marshall, MidAmerica Productions, Inc., Pier Andrea Morolli, Nicholas Posner, Nick Rutter.

The University of Oxford logo is the registered trademark of the University of Oxford. The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is licensed to use the mark in the branding of events in the United Kingdom. The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is run by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Trust. Neither the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra nor the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Trust are part of the University of Oxford.

‘The Oxford Philharmonic is a superb ensemble … some of the finest musicians I have ever heard. And when solo moments popped up, the individual players played like gods and goddesses.’

Oberon’s Grove

‘world-class quality is what beamed from the stage at the Orchestra’s New York debut’

Blogcritics

‘The music, so melancholy and passionate, had orchestra and soloist enmeshed in soul-enriching playing of the finest quality.’

Oberon’s Grove

‘the soloist and orchestra were simply mesmeric’

ConcertoNet