Since 1998, the Oxford Philharmonic has brought exciting and inspirational classical music performances to Oxford and beyond. Praised as ‘remarkable’ by The Spectator, the Orchestra prides itself on creating exceptional and unique musical experiences, bringing new and engaging interpretations to well-loved works in the classical repertoire.
In June 2022 the Oxford Philharmonic made its Carnegie Hall debut, in a concert ‘enmeshed in soul-enriching playing’ (Oberon’s Grove) of ‘world-class quality’ (Blogcritics).
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra is dedicated to the highest standards of artistic excellence and musical integrity and strives to create bold musical statements with every concert it presents. Its continual search for excellence is underpinned by the uncompromising standards of its Founder and Music Director Marios Papadopoulos and maintained by some of the finest musicians, whom ‘Papadopoulos has moulded into a stunning group’ (ConcertoNet).
The Oxford Philharmonic attracts some of the world’s greatest artists to appear in concert, including Maxim Vengerov, Angela Gheorghiu, Sir Antonio Pappano, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Sir András Schiff, Lang Lang, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Evgeny Kissin and Sir Bryn Terfel.
In addition to its annual concert season in Oxford, touring performances across the UK, family concerts, annual Oxford Piano Festival, and Chamber Music Series, the Orchestra is proud to present a growing list of international engagements including its debut at the Tivoli Festival in Copenhagen in June 2019, US debut at Carnegie Hall in June 2022 and Munich with pianist Martha Argerich in April 2023.
The Oxford Philharmonic was appointed the Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford in 2002, the first relationship of its kind between an orchestra and a higher education institution.
World-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov became the Oxford Philharmonic’s first ever Artist in Residence following his remarkable debut with the Orchestra in 2013. Over an unprecedented four-season collaboration, Vengerov performed with the Orchestra across the UK and recorded the violin concertos of Brahms and Sibelius as well as Mendelssohn’s Octet. In July 2018 Vengerov appeared at Cheltenham Music Festival and Saffron Hall with the Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic – a tight-knit group of musicians described by Jessica Duchen as ‘a line-up to match any top-notch international chamber ensemble and probably beat them on their own turf’.
In February 2023 the Orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary in a special concert at the Barbican with Maxim Vengerov playing Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
In December 2020, the Orchestra recorded 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 by the Orchestra for the occasion. In addition to Rutter, the Orchestra were joined in their tribute by Sir Bryn Terfel and the Choir of Merton College, Oxford. The film was presented by John Suchet, and also included a special performance by Maxim Vengerov alongside tributes from Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Oxford Louise Richardson, and the Orchestra’s Royal Patron HRH Princess Alexandra.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra has been firmly committed to outreach work from its earliest days, with projects taking music to areas of social and economic disadvantage, including hospitals, Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) schools, and partnerships with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. In December 2021 the Orchestra’s Sub-Principal Violin Jamie Hutchinson was awarded the prestigious Salomon Prize, a joint prize between the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) and Association of British Orchestras (ABO), in recognition of the educational initiatives she spearheaded with the Orchestra’s education team during the pandemic.
As Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford, the Oxford Philharmonic frequently Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra collaborates with the Faculty of Music in educational programmes with various tuition and performance opportunities for talented young musicians, 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 works by Nimrod Borenstein for Chandos, cello concertos by Shostakovich and Mats Lidström (Solo Cello of the Oxford Philharmonic), both conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy on BIS Records, A Merton Christmas with the Choir of Merton College, Haydn’s The Creation with the Choir of New College, and the Handel/Mendelssohn Acis and Galatea with Christ Church Cathedral Choir. The Orchestra’s most recent disc The Enlightened Trumpet with soloist Paul Merkelo was released on Sony Classical in September 2019.
A partnership with J & A Beare provides the Orchestra’s distinguished members with opportunities to play on Stradivari instruments, adding a new dimension to the sound of the Orchestra.
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.
In 2017-18, the work of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as the Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford expanded, reaching students in more ways than ever before and providing more opportunities for those students to engage with some of the classical music world’s most revered artists. The OPO ran a series of masterclasses, predominantly for University of Oxford students, given by world-renowned artists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maxim Vengerov and Emanuel Pahud, as well as members of the Orchestra.
The residency has also given young artists the opportunity to perform in the Sheldonian Theatre prior to OPO concerts. The Young Artists’ Platform allows young musicians to have the experience of playing in an historic venue in front of people who attend the OPO’s evening concert. In 2017-18, the pre-concert recitals were very well attended, and the series is now established in the minds of our regular concertgoers.
This year saw the OPO improve and expand tuition opportunities for Oxford students. Our tuition scheme, whereby OPO players give up to four lessons each term to a chosen student, funded by the Orchestra, is burgeoning, and further expansion is planned, to compliment the Faculty’s offering in this respect. The Orchestral Apprenticeship scheme, which has been running for many years, continues apace.
The 2017-18 season saw the return of the Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition. University students were predominant among the semi-finalists (5 out of 6), and the eventual winner was pianist Joshua Asokan, from St Anne’s College. We were delighted to see the wealth of talent emerging from the student body and to give them the opportunity to display that talent alongside the OPO.
The Orchestra collaborated with Owen Rees and the Choir of the Queen’s College in a concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War, Schola Cantorum for Messiah at the end of Michaelmas term and Christ Church Cathedral Choir for Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms in January. Also, on 11 May, Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at the University, presented a concert celebrating the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci 500 years after his death, which included a new commission by Manuel Martínez Burgos, Tutor of Composition at the University.
This association between one of the world’s greatest universities and a resident professional Orchestra presents innumerable opportunities for education and music making. The OPO is extremely keen, both to build upon the framework we have thus far established and to find new ways in which the University and the Orchestra can complement and enhance each other’s work.
Members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra are amongst some of the finest musicians in the country, and many are also experienced teachers in major conservatoires. The OPO’s reputation as one of the leading orchestras in the UK also attracts some of the world’s greatest artists to appear in its concert series. With such outstanding musicians at our disposal, we offer unique and unparalleled opportunities for students to receive tuition in performance-related studies.
Charlotte Scott and Jon Thorne are Associate Concertmaster and Solo Viola of the Oxford Philharmonic and both enjoy an international concert schedule with the Badke Quartet, which was formed in 2002, and is now widely recognised as one of Britain’s finest string quartets. Charlotte and Jon gave an intense three-hour workshop to the Ozymandias Quartet (LaRae Ferguson, Heather Jeffrey, Talia Boyan and Harry Morgan) – all Oxford students.
Marios Papadopoulos, the Oxford Philharmonic’s Music Director, gave a conducting masterclass to three Oxford University students at the Sheldonian Theatre, which was organised jointly with the Oxford Conducting Institute. After discussing the repertoire beforehand, Joshua Asokan (St Anne’s), Joseph Davies (St Peter’s) and Thomas Fetherstonhaugh (Merton) each took the reins of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and performed excerpts from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, ‘Pastoral’. They were observed by a group of young conductors from the Oxford Conducting Institute, as well as members of the public.
Lars Vogt directed the Oxford Philharmonic from the keyboard in a performance of Beethoven’s third piano concerto in February 2018 and stayed in Oxford to give a masterclass to three Oxford pianists. George Needham played a movement from the same concerto, while Karl Lutchmayer played some of the composers’ Bagatelles. Ken-Ee Choong played one of Rachmaninov’s ÉtudesTableaux. Vogt is Professor of Piano at the Hanover Conservatory of Music.
The Oxford Philharmonic was delighted to welcome back Anne-Sophie Mutter to play the Brahms ‘Double Concerto’ with Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández. She gave a masterclass at Keble College (of which she is an Honorary Fellow) on the music of Mozart. The class was attended by around 100 members of the public, who listened intently to her every word, as she imparted the wisdom she has gained in 30 years at the pinnacle of her profession. Charlie Lovell-Jones (Christ Church) played a movement from the fourth violin concerto and Shun Hioki (St Cross) the Violin Sonata in A major, K. 305.
Steven Isserlis is one of the UK’s best loved classical musicians. He joined the Oxford Philharmonic to perform Elgar’s Cello Concerto and gave a masterclass earlier the same day in the Holywell Music Room. Oxford cellists Andrew Snell and Sophie Cheng had the opportunity to play for him in front of a sizeable audience, despite the clash with the Royal Wedding!
Emmanuel Pahud, principal flautist of the Berliner Philharmoniker, is an international ambassador for his instrument. This was proven by the excitement generated among flautists for his visit to Oxford, which included a performance of Mozart’s Flute Concerto and a masterclass at the Faculty of Music. Daniel Shao – an alumnus of St Catherine’s and former winner of the Oxfordshire Concerto Competition – and Sarah Mattinson (Queen’s) were able to play for him in front of a crowd which filled the Denis Arnold Hall.
Maxim Vengerov returned to Trinity College (of which he is an Honorary Fellow) to give a masterclass to Oxford violinists. The excitement for Vengerov’s classes on his many visits to Oxford is undimmed, and Trinity’s Chapel was again filled with observers for the event. Shun Hioki played Bach’s Chaconne from Partita No. 2.
The Oxford Philharmonic once again presented a composers’ workshop in conjunction with the Faculty of Music, affording student composers the opportunity to have their works played by a full orchestra. This year however, the offering was expanded so that 12 composers, rather than six were able to take advantage of it, in two separate workshops.
These students had their original compositions performed for the first time by the Oxford Philharmonic, under the baton of Dr John Traill. Composers had the opportunity to enter into a dialogue about their work with the conductor and members of the Orchestra, both recommending methods to create the sound they had envisaged and getting feedback on their compositions from Dr Traill and the players.
From the works rehearsed by the Oxford Philharmonic in this workshop, one is chosen to be performed in the following OPO concert season. This year, although several of the pieces were impressive enough to warrant a premiere in the Oxford Philharmonic season, Richard English’s Into the Void was the work selected.
The Oxfordshire Concerto Competition returned in 2017-18 and we received many applications from University students. Five made it into the semi-final on Saturday 3 February, and performed a single movement from a concerto with Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra and Dr John Traill. Two then made it to the final round. Victoria Gill chose to perform Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and Joshua Asokan played Scriabin’s rarely-heard Piano Concerto in F sharp minor. They were joined by Leo Appel – an Oxfordshire local – who offered the Walton Violin Concerto. After listening to those pieces, performed by the Oxford Philharmonic under Dr John Trail, the panel, which included Dr Cayenna Ponchione from the Faculty of Music, David Whelton (former Managing Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra) and oboist and educator George Caird, chose Joshua Asokan for the prize. Joshua performed a concerto with the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra and Marios Papadopoulos in 2019 and also gave a Young Artists’ Platform pre-concert recital.
YAP gives students at the University the opportunity to give a brief recital before one of the concerts in the Oxford Philharmonic’s Sheldonian season. The recital normally lasts twenty minutes. The OPO often provides an accompanist for the student. In 2018, three students impressed audiences in this programme: Emma Lisney (2016 Oxfordshire Concerto Competition winner) who played Beethoven’s ‘Spring’ Sonata; Victoria Gill (Christ Church), who tackled movements from Franck’s Violin Sonata; and Richard Fu (Queen’s) who delighted the audience with ‘La vallée des cloches’ from Ravel’s Miroirs.
| Concerto Competition Winner
Professional orchestral experience and training is available to string instrumentalists who are enrolled full-time at the Faculty of Music. Candidates selected by audition are invited to play in up to four concerts with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and receive coaching and an award of £100 per concert. This season, Tom Fetherstonhaugh (Merton, violin) played in our concert on 2 November and Max Cheung (St John’s, cello) played in our concert on 19 May 2018 with Steven Isserlis.
The Oxford Philharmonic celebrated 15 years as Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford in a special celebratory concert at the Sheldonian on 2 November. The Orchestra was joined by the Choirs of The Queen’s College and Merton College to perform choral classics by Fauré, Handel and Parry. An alumnus of the Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, Savitri Grier performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and POLIN by student composer Sturdivant Adams was premiered. Additionally, the Orchestra performed works by Professors Martyn Harry and Robert Saxton. Selections of the concert were broadcast on Classic FM.
On 14 December 2017, the Oxford Philharmonic performed parts 4-6 of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Choir of New College and Robert Quinney to a packed Sheldonian Theatre. On 29 March, Schola Cantorum and newly appointed Organist at Christ Church Cathedral Steven Grahl joined the Orchestra to perform Handel’s Messiah. In July, Marios Papadopoulos conducted Merton College Choir in a performance of Bach’s Magnificat in Merton College Chapel. In addition, on 20 October 2017, Merton College Choir released a Christmas CD on the Delphian label which was recorded with the Oxford Philharmonic. The OPO is privileged to be able to draw upon such a wealth of vocal talent in the city of Oxford. In January, we were delighted to collaborate on a special project with Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at Oxford. Professor du Sautoy presented a concert which highlighted mathematical aspects of the music being played: the Masonic symbolism of Mozart’s Overture to Die Zauberflöte and the unusual structure of Haydn’s ‘Palindrome’ symphony. This concert was vastly over-subscribed and extremely well received, so the Orchestra is keen to programme similar events in the future.
| orchestral a nticeThe aspect of the residency from which students most benefit is the special student rate we apply for tickets to our Oxford concerts. Every OPO concert in Oxford offers £5 tickets for fulltime students. We estimate that we have sold over 1500 such tickets in 2017-18, giving even the most impecunious of students the opportunity to experience great music and musicianship. This effort is supported by the Oxford Philharmonic’s Concert Access Fund.
The Orchestra received some feedback which attests to the impact this programme has on the student community:
* see appendix for Student Ticket Survey from the 2021/22 season
Founded in 1998, the Oxford Piano Festival has become a mecca for young pianists from all over the world who converge on Oxford to study with the world’s most renowned artists and professors. The Festival is a residential course held in St Hilda’s College with an intensive programme of masterclasses during the day, complemented by a series of evening concerts in some of the most beautiful venues in Oxford. In 2018, the Festival celebrated its 20th Anniversary with concerts in the Holywell Music Room, JdP, Sheldonian Theatre, Christ Church Cathedral, SJE and Merton College Chapel.
The Oxford Philharmonic receives no funding from the University to carry out its Residency Programme. This is offered to the University and its community for free. We estimate that we contribute to the University economy in the region of £150,000 a year for the hire of its venuesincluding St Hilda’s College during the Oxford Piano Festival - fees paid to the choirs and their conductors, and for providing the Residency Programme.
In 2018-19, the work of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as the Orchestra in Residence at Oxford University expanded, reaching students in more ways than ever before and providing more opportunities for those students to engage with some of the classical music world’s most revered artists. The OPO has run a series of masterclasses, predominantly for Oxford University students, given by world-renowned artists such as Vadim Repin, Menahem Pressler and Lawrence Power, as well as members of the Orchestra. Conducting masterclasses by the Music Director, Marios Papadopoulos have become oversubscribed among students, so much so that in the 2019-20 season, we offered two.
The residency has also given young artists the opportunity to perform in the Sheldonian Theatre prior to OPO concerts. Our Young Artist Platform continues to establish itself a success.
2018-19 saw the OPO improve and expand tuition opportunities for Oxford students. Our tuition scheme, whereby OPO players give up to four lessons each term to a chosen student, funded by the Orchestra, grows in popularity. We also offered more opportunities for composers. As well as the expanded orchestral Composers’ Workshop, we added a session for string quartet. This aspect of the residency continues to be popular among the students.
After collaborations with the choirs of Christ Church and the Queens College, as well as Professor Martin Kemp, in the current season, the Orchestra collaborated with Owen Rees and the Choir of the Queen’s College in a performance of Bach’s St John Passion and the choirs of Magdalen and New College in a Christmas concert under the baton of John Rutter. In October, the Orchestra continued its collaboration with Simonyi Professor of the Understanding of Science, Marcus du Sautoy with “Music & Maths” concerts in Oxford and Saffron Walden.
This association between one of the world’s greatest universities and a resident professional Orchestra presents innumerable opportunities for education and music making. The OPO is extremely keen, both to build upon the framework we have thus far established and to find new ways in which the University and the Orchestra can complement and enhance each other’s work.
Russian virtuoso Vadim Repin joined the Oxford Philharmonic in October for a chamber concert, an orchestral concert and a masterclass. The class was attended by around 40 members of the public. Charlie Lovell-Jones played the first movement of Britten’s Violin Concerto, and Elizabeth Nurse played the second movement of Schumann’s first violin sonata. Repin touched on techniques for improving intonation as well as assessing the validity or otherwise of performing traditions in the pieces.
After singing in the Oxford Phil Remembrance Day concert with the Choir of the Queen’s College on Sunday 11 November, baritone David Stout gave a masterclass to three students in the Schulman Auditorium at Queen’s. Jacob Clarke (Queen’s Choir) sung a song by William Dennis Browne, a British composer who was killed in the First World War. Lucas Tse (Rhodes
Scholar) sung None but the lonely heart by Tchaikovsky and Patrick Keefe (New College) an aria from Le nozze di Figaro. Stout advised the three on points of diction (especially regarding the Russian and Italian languages), tone production and breath control.
Lawrence Power, one of the world’s foremost violists, gave a masterclass at the Oxford Faculty of Music on Saturday 26 January. Power focused on bowing, encouraging the students to increase their range of expression more intelligent use of the bow in the diverse sound worlds of Bartok, Walton and Kurtag.
Marios Papadopoulos’ conducting masterclasses (run in conjunction with the Oxford Conducting Institute) continue to be an attractive proposition for students. Three Oxford conductors took the reins of the Oxford Philharmonic under the supervision of Marios Papadopoulos at the Centre for Music in Headington. The three conducted excerpts from Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ symphony, and were advised on points of interpretation, baton technique and communication.
Yuri Zhislin, Co-Concertmaster of the Oxford Philharmonic is in demand as an educator in Europe and beyond both as a teacher of violin and viola. He is a professor at the RCM. Before leading the orchestra in the concert of Korngold and Tchaikovsky on 6 March, Yuri gave a masterclass to Elizabeth Nurse, who played Dvořák’s Violin Concerto.
Katy Woolley, former principal horn of the Philharmonia and now principal of the Royal Concertgebouw, was guest principal for the Oxford Philharmonic for several concerts in the 2018/19 season. On one of her visits to Oxford she gave a masterclass to a current Oxford student and an alumnus. In an energetic and informative class, she discussed creating good rehearsal habits, emphasised the importance of the whole body in creating a good sound over just the lips and the need for communication between soloist and accompanist. Benjamin Hartnell-Booth played Franz Strauss’ Horn Concerto, and Myrrdin Rees-Davies played the first concerto by Richard Strauss.
The Oxford Philharmonic once again presented a composers’ workshop in conjunction with the Faculty of Music, affording student composers the opportunity to have their works played by a full orchestra. This year, in keeping with last year’s expansion, we offered this opportunity to 12 composers.
These students had their original compositions performed for the first time by the Oxford Philharmonic, under the baton of Dr John Traill or Assistant Conductor (and DPhil candidate) Hannah Schneider. Composers had the opportunity to enter into a dialogue about their work with the conductor and members of the Orchestra, both recommending methods to create the sound they had envisaged and getting feedback on their compositions from Dr Traill and the players.
From the works rehearsed by the Oxford Philharmonic in this workshop, two were chosen to be performed in the OPO’s 2019-20 concert season. In 2019,, Grace-Evangeline Mason’s To Breathe Now and Carol J Jones’s The Light Thief were the works selected.
In addition to the orchestral composers’ workshop, the Oxford Philharmonic provide a quartet of string players for a chamber music composers’ workshop in February 2019. This will be repeat in the 2019-20 academic year.
YAP gives students at the University the opportunity to give a brief recital before one of the concerts in the Oxford Philharmonic’s Sheldonian season. The recital normally lasts twenty minutes. The OPO often provides an accompanist for the student. This year, two students impressed audiences in this programme: Julian Trevelyan played an eclectic programme of piano works by Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, and Joshua Asokan (winner of the 2018 Oxfordshire Concerto Competition) played piano works by Scriabin. Both recital were attended by upwards of 100 concertgoers.
In the 2018-19 season, the Orchestra collaborated with Owen Rees and the Choir of the Queen’s College in a concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of The Great War. The Orchestra and choir were joined by Queen’s alumnus Rowan Atkinson for the rarely performed An Oxford Elegy by Vaughan Williams, with Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem in the second half. At the end of Michaelmas term, Schola Cantorum and the Oxford Philharmonic performed Handel’s Messiah. In January 2019, Christ Church Cathedral Choir performed Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms under Music Director Marios Papadopoulos. In May, Professor Martin Kemp presented a special concert celebrating the legacy of Leonardo da Vinci 500 years after his death. This included a new commission by Manuel Martinez Burgos (Tutor of Composition) called Codex, inspired by Leonardo’s Codex on the Flight of Birds.
We sold over 2500 £5 student tickets in 2018-19,, giving students the opportunity to experience great music and musicianship. This effort is supported by the Oxford Philharmonic’s Concert Access Fund.
In January 2019, Hannah Schneider (a DPhil candidate) was appointed Assistant Conductor to OPO Music Director Marios Papadopoulos. In this role, Hannah has conducted the orchestra in concert on numerous occasions. She was at the helm for the premieres of Manuel MartinezBurgos’s Codex and Richard English’s Into the Void as well as works by Stravinsky and Frederick Septimus Kelly. In 2019-20 she conducted Haydn’s ‘Oxford’ symphony among other works. Hannah has been instrumental in setting up the OPO’s Side-by-Side scheme, which has had it’s first two concerts in 2018-19, in which the students joined OPO players for Brahms Academic Festival Overture and Rossini Overture to L’Italiana in Algeri.
In 2018-19, the Festival held concerts in the Holywell Music Room, JdP, Sheldonian Theatre, Christ Church Cathedral, SJE and Merton College Chapel, and welcomed Alfred Brendel, KBE, Menahem Pressler, Boris Berezovsky and Steven Osborne among others.
For the second year in a row, OPO pledged £2000 towards the work of the Oxford University Music Society. The money will help fund the ambitious projects run by the society and hopefully help to improve the already high standard of student music-making in Oxford.
In 2019/20, though of course curtailed by the Coronavirus pandemic, the work of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as the Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford continued to reach hundreds of students, providing myriad opportunities for them to engage with some of the classical music world’s most revered artists, receive tuition from members of the Orchestra, perform as soloists and have their compositions premiered.
The OPO’s masterclass series was unfortunately cut short by the pandemic which prevented Maxim Vengerov from travelling to Oxford, however, students were able to avail themselves of the advice and guidance of Paul Merkelo (trumpet soloist on the Orchestra’s latest CD) and several members of the Orchestra. Responding to excess demands of previous years, Marios Papadopoulos gave two conducting masterclasses in November and February.
2019-20 saw the OPO improve and expand tuition opportunities for Oxford students. The launch of our Side-by-Side scheme allowed more students to have the experience of playing in a professional orchestra. Our tuition scheme, whereby OPO players give up to four lessons each term to a chosen instrumentalist, funded by the Orchestra, continued to attract new students. We also maintained our expanded offering for composers with a 5-hour orchestral composers’ workshop, and another for string quartet.
The Orchestra’s 2019/20 season featured collaborations with the choirs of Magdalen and New College in a Christmas concert under the baton of John Rutter, which was broadcast on Classic FM. In October, the Orchestra continued its collaboration with Simonyi Professor of the Understanding of Science, Marcus du Sautoy with ‘Music & Maths’ concerts in Oxford and Saffron Walden.
This association between one of the world’s greatest universities and a resident professional Orchestra presents innumerable opportunities for education and music making. The OPO is extremely keen, both to build upon the framework we have thus far established and to find new ways in which the University and the Orchestra can complement and enhance each other’s work.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra finances in full the cost of our Residency Programme for the benefit of the student community.
As Founder and Music Director of the Oxford Philharmonic, Marios Papadopoulos has developed an instinctive understanding with the musicians of the Orchestra over more than 20 seasons. In two masterclasses this year (2 November and 14 February), he handed over the reins to young conductors from the University, leading them through interpretations of Beethoven Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 7. These masterclasses were organised in conjunction with the Oxford Conducting Institute.
Paul Merkelo has been the Principal Trumpet of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1995. In November, he made a visit to Oxford to play a concert in the Sheldonian, following the release of his recording with the Oxford Philharmonic on Sony Classical. Paul worked with each of the students and showed them small adjustments they could make, in order to improve several aspects of their playing. This included how to start a note on trumpet to make the best sound, differentiating between staccato and legato phrases and the importance of using mouthpiece buzzing and lip bending exercises in their practice.
The Oxford Philharmonic’s Solo Horn Pip Eastop shared his expertise with two horn students, Rhiannon and Benji, and a group of keen observers, all of whom, it turned out, were horn players. A recurring theme of the class was intonation. Pip demonstrated with each student why one should never ‘park on a note’ but should always be adjusting the intonation in search of a better fit. Pip remarked that when playing an exact mathematically pure interval, one should be able to ‘hear the other resulting notes of the harmonic series inside your head’ and that it is good practice to listen out for these elusive sounds.
Charlotte Scott and Jon Thorne are Associate Concertmaster and Solo Viola of the Oxford Philharmonic, but they both have enormous experience playing chamber music. Jon is a
Professor at the Royal Academy with responsibility for chamber music, and the two played alongside each other in the Badke Quartet between 2013 and 2017. They are both currently members of the Oculi Ensemble. A violin duo, string quartet and piano trio availed themselves of the pair’s knowledge and experience in this three-hour workshop.
flute oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn oboe, clarinet, bassoon
Tony Robb is Solo Flute of the Oxford Philharmonic. In this workshop he coached two chamber groups through the Nielsen Wind Quintet and Bozza’s Suite Breve en Trio.
Marios Papadopoulos embarked upon a cycle of Beethoven piano concertos directed from the keyboard in the anniversary year of 2020. Fresh from performing the second and third concerts in this series, he gave a masterclass to two Oxford pianists, who played Schumann Papillons and Chopin Ballade No. 4. The class focussed on several aspects such as voicing, achieving true legato and interpreting phrases according to the architecture of a piece.
The Oxford Philharmonic once again presented a composers’ workshop in conjunction with the Faculty of Music, affording student composers the opportunity to have their works played by a full orchestra. The Composers’ Workshop took place at the JdP Music Building, St Hilda’s College from 12:00-18:00 on Friday 14 February 2020. The following 12 students had their works played and discussed:
The Composers’ Workshop is one of the most anticipated and over-subscribed aspects of the Oxford Philharmonic’s residency. It is an invaluable experience for budding composers who rarely get an opportunity to hear their orchestral works performed, and even more rarely receive detailed feedback from the musicians.
During the workshop, each composer has their piece performed by the Oxford Philharmonic’s professional musicians, conducted by Dr John Traill. After the piece is performed, there is a discussion giving the composer helpful feedback. Dr John Traill is perfectly placed to lead the discussion, being a composer himself as well as a composition tutor. The composer will explain their artistic views and the musicians will raise points and concerns, which helps the composer think of new ways to achieve the sounds and effects they would like.
After all composers have had their pieces played, Dr John Traill and Professor Robert Saxton select a piece to be premiered by the Oxford Philharmonic. This year, Alexander Dakin’s Sinfonietta was chosen and we enjoyed performing his piece in the 2020/21 season.
In 2018-19, two students’ pieces were chosen to be performed composed by Grace-Evangeline Mason and Carol Jones. Unfortunately, the concerts that featured these compositions were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We will be reprogramming these pieces to be included in future concerts instead. Grace-Evangeline Mason has been featured on the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra’s blog. We spoke to her about her introduction to composition and her creative process. To read this blog post, please follow this link: https://oxphilorchestrablog.com/2020/04/02/a-conversation-with-grace-evangeline-mason/.
In addition to the orchestral composers’ workshop, the Oxford Philharmonic provided a quartet of string players for a chamber music composers’ workshop in November 2019.
As part of the Oxford Beethoven Festival 2020, we invited Oxford University composers to enter a composition competition. The brief was to write an overture with the orchestration Beethoven commonly used with the title ‘A Hero’s Overture’. Reuben Tendler’s piece was chosen as the winner and was premiered by the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra under John Traill in a Young Artists’ Platform at the Sheldonian on 25 January 2020. Reuben received a cash prize of £500.
YAP gives students at the University the opportunity to give a brief recital before one of the concerts in the Oxford Philharmonic’s Sheldonian season. The recital normally lasts twenty minutes. This year, three students impressed audiences in this programme: Ken-Ee Choong, a third year undergraduate at Pembroke College performed a movement of Beethoven’s ‘Waldstein’ sonata and two of Liszt’s Transcendental Études; another pianist, Jamie Cochrane, a first year undergraduate at Merton, played pieces by Mozart, Rachmaninov and Chopin; and Katie Bunney, a second year at St Catherine’s, gave a recital of music for solo saxophone. All these recitals were attended by upwards of 100 concertgoers.
The Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition returned in 2019/20 and we received many applications from University students. Six made it into the semi-final on Friday 29 November. Three then made it to the final round, performing a movement of a concerto with the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra and Dr John Traill. Julian Trevelyan (St Catherine’s) performed the first movement of Brahms’ first piano concerto, Ewan Millar (St Hilda’s) the first movement of Strauss’ Oboe Concerto and Charlie Lovell-Jones the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. The panel, composed of David Whelton (former Managing Director of the Philharmonia Orchestra and current member of OPO’s Advisory Council), Dr John Traill, OPO Solo Flute Tony Robb and Principal First Violin Imogen East, chose Ewan Millar for the prize of £1000 cash. Ewan performed a full concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic in the 2020/21 season and also gave a Young Artists’ Platform pre-concert recital.
The inaugural Oxford Philharmonic Side-by-Side scheme began in the 2019/20 season. Participants, selected by audition, are invited to play side-by-side with a member of the orchestra for a rehearsal and performance of an overture in three concerts in the Oxford Philharmonic season. The participants are a mixture of Oxford University students and Oxfordshire-based school children. This season, they performed Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture and Rossini’s Overture to L’Italiana in Algeri. The scheduled performance of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture on 5 June had to be cancelled.
The following Oxford University students took part in the scheme: violin violin violin violin
viola cello cello oboe oboe
bassoon trumpet percussion
The Oxford Philharmonic’s Oxford Beethoven Festival 2020 was about more than just performance. As part of this holistic approach to our celebrations of the composer and his art, a wide variety of events took place, including masterclasses, exhibitions and pre-concert talks. The Oxford Beethoven Symposium was very much a part of this initiative. Over a two-day period, eleven renowned academics from around the UK, Europe and the United States presented papers on various themes from Beethoven’s understanding of death to his mathematical approach to variations. The symposium was convened by Professor Eric Clarke (Heather Professor of Music) and featured talks by Laura Tunbridge (Henfrey Fellow and Tutor at St Catherine's College) and Claire Holden (AHRC Fellow in the Creative and Performing Arts).
In the 2019/20 season, the Orchestra once again partnered with Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics Marcus du Sautoy to present a concert entitled ‘Music & Maths’ in Saffron Walden and Oxford. In December, we were delighted to invite John Rutter to present a Christmas concert with the choirs of Magdalen and New College which was broadcast on Classic FM. Sadly, our concert on 9 April, at which we were to
The scheme was coordinated and conducted by Assistant Conductor Hannah Schneider (DPhil Candidate).
perform Bach’s St John Passion with Owen Rees and the Choir of The Queen’s College, had to be cancelled.
The aspect of the residency from which most students benefit is the special student rate we apply for tickets to our Oxford concerts. Every OPO concert in Oxford offers £5 tickets for fulltime students. In the 2018/19 season, we sold over 2500 such tickets, giving even the most impecunious of students the opportunity to experience great music and musicianship. In 2019/20, despite the final third of the season being cancelled owing to the Coronavirus pandemic, we still sold over 2100 student tickets, which means we would likely have broken the 3000 mark, had the season run its course. This effort is supported by the Oxford Philharmonic’s Concert Access Fund.
For the third year in a row, OPO has pledged £2000 towards the work of the Oxford University Music Society. The money will help fund the ambitious projects run by the society and hopefully help to improve the already high standard of student music-making in Oxford.
In January 2019, Hannah Schneider (a Doctoral student at St John’s College) was appointed Assistant Conductor to OPO Music Director Marios Papadopoulos. In this role, Hannah has conducted the orchestra in concert on numerous occasions. She was at the helm for the premieres of Manuel Martinez-Burgos’s Codex and Richard English’s Into the Void as well as works by Stravinsky and Frederick Septimus Kelly. Hannah has been instrumental in setting up the OPO’s Side-by-Side scheme, which has had its first two concerts this season, in which the students joined OPO players for Brahms Academic Festival Overture and Rossini Overture to L’Italiana in Algeri. More Side-by-Side performances are planned for 2020/21.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra finances in full the cost of our Residency Programme for the benefit of the student community.Unfortunately, all the Orchestra’s activities were severely limited by the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020-21. The normal programme of masterclasses with world-renowned artists was impossible to maintain given restrictions on travel and the prohibitions on audiences at concerts. Given there were no live OPO concerts until June 2021, it was also not possible to run the Young Artists’ Platform.
However, a Composers’ Workshop (with reduced and socially distanced orchestral forces) was possible and tuition provided and financed by the OPO also continued. The centrepiece of the Orchestra’s season was a celebration of the success of the Oxford Vaccine Group in developing an effective COVID-19 vaccine. With a new commission from OUP-published composer John Rutter and performances from Merton College Choir and chorister Alexander Olleson (formerly of Christ Church Cathedral Choir), the concert was conceived as a thank you from the musical community of Oxford and indeed the wider world to the incredibly skilled and hardworking scientists who were able to show us the way out the pandemic. Covered on the front page of The Times and broadcast on Classic FM’s Facebook as well as the Orchestra’s YouTube page, the concert garnered well over 130,000 views.
In 2021-22, the Orchestra will promote once again a full programme of masterclasses, workshops and concerts to benefit the widest possible cross-section of the Oxford student body. In addition to the return of our habitual programmes, the OPO is extremely keen, both to build upon the framework we have thus far established and to find new ways by which to extend the relationship.
The 2021 Composers’ Workshop took place on Wednesday 5 May at St John the Evangelist in Oxford. Some modifications were necessary this year to ensure the safety of all involved during the Covid-19 pandemic. Social distancing had to be maintained, but the composers were still able effectively to communicate their ideas with the orchestra and vice versa and to hear a live performance of music which up to that point existed shorn of all orchestral timbre in a piano reduction, through the tinny midi sounds of a score-writing programme, or only in the imagination.
Almost all the composers were able to join us in person to discuss their work with Dr John Traill (who conducted) and the players of the orchestra. Only one was not able to attend in person, but they were able to call in via Zoom. The performances were recorded for the personal use of the composers.
Eleven composers were involved in the workshop:
Toby Anderson’s touchless : a disco was chosen to be performed in a future OPO concert season.
The premieres of works chosen from the 2019 and 2020 Composers’ Workshops were postponed on account of the pandemic, so these too will be given their premieres in the 202122 season. Those works are:
In the Autumn of 2020, as encouraging early trial results for Covid-19 vaccines began to be published, the Oxford Philharmonic started to plan a concert designed to be a thank you from the Orchestra (as Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford), the City of Oxford and indeed the people of the world to those who worked with such dedication and skill to give humanity a path out of the dark predicament in which it found itself.
The concert drew together conductors, composers, vocal soloists and choir, as well as the Oxford Philharmonic itself in the glorious surroundings of the Sheldonian to give full voice to the gratitude and relief we all felt on hearing that the brilliance and hard work of our scientists was about to pay off.
John Rutter was commissioned to write a new carol for the concert (broadcast on 18 December) which told the story of Joseph’s long and difficult road to Bethlehem at the end of which a miracle took place. Bryn Terfel joined soprano Alexandra Lowe, treble Alexander Olleson (formerly of Christ Church Cathedral Choir) and the Choir of Merton College to perform special arrangements of Abide with Me and You’ll Never Walk Alone, both of which enjoin steadfastness in testing times. The concert also featured Elgar’s Chanson de matin and John Rutter’s Look to the Day, ‘a tuneful and uplifting anthem…[with] a strong central message of hope’ and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.
The music was intercut with interviews from the performers and notable figures of the University and the world of classical music, including Vice-Chancellor Prof. Louise Richardson, the OPO’s Royal Patron Princess Alexandra, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Maxim Vengerov, the latter two regular collaborators of the Orchestra and Honorary Fellows at Keble and Trinity respectively. The concert was presented by John Suchet. All this served to emphasise how fulsome and widespread was the gratitude of the University and classical music community for the work of the scientists. The scientists were the first to view the finished video in a private screening before it was broadcast to the world.
Through this concert, the Oxford Philharmonic attempted to express through music that profound gratitude to those who had shown us the way out of this pandemic that we all felt, but could scarcely express in words alone. This sentiment was seconded by the tens of thousands from across the world who watched the concert and the many hundreds who left their own tributes in comments on the various streaming platforms. It was a perfect way to celebrate Oxford as a centre for excellence in both science and arts.
As part of our spring programme of online concerts in 2021 we returned to our collaboration with Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science Marcus du Sautoy. Drawing parallels between the mathematical and scientific advances of the 17th and 18th centuries and the highly systematical structures of the music of the period, du Sautoy led the audience through a programme of Rameau and Bach. Taking in Newton’s cradles, Chladni plates and Stradivarius violins, Professor du Sautoy once again presented a fresh and fascinating perspective on familiar music. The Orchestra is very keen to continue this popular and unique series, which draws on the expertise and brilliance so abundant in Oxford to create fresh and exciting concert programmes. The concert can be viewed on the Oxford Philharmonic’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuDBrKJVEc8
We were delighted to be invited by the Saïd Business School to perform as part of the events celebrating the tenure of long-serving Dean, Professor Peter Tufano. The Orchestra performed a programme including Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to a small socially distanced audience in a marquee. Despite the circumstances under which the concert had to take place, the Orchestra was thrilled to pay tribute to Dean Tufano, a long-time friend of the Oxford Phil and former member of the Orchestra’s Advisory Council, on the occasion of his retirement. As a token of their appreciation, the Saïd Business School arranged for a tree to be planted in Marios’ name as part of the rewilding of the Caledonian Forest!
One programme that has been able to continue this year has been the OPO Tuition Scheme. Members of the Oxford Philharmonic, many of whom hold positions at top conservatoires, give lessons to Oxford students and the Orchestra covers up to £200 worth of these lessons per term. Students such as Rachel Maxey (viola) who have joined this scheme have gone on to study with their teachers at a conservatoire and have begun careers as musicians.
Although the Side-by-Side was very limited this year owing to social distancing concerns, it was possible to welcome students for one concert. On 5 June, from the University Ewan Millar (Oboe, St Hilda’s College) joined the Orchestra The Banks of Green Willow by George Butterworth. The performance was recorded and is available online.
In 2021-22, along with its normal concert series, the Orchestra is planning to offer a full slate of programmes as Orchestra in Residence. This will include the Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition, Orchestral Apprenticeship, Young Artists’ Platform, a series of masterclasses and workshops, Side-by-Side, as well as £5 student tickets for every Oxford concert. Four pieces by Oxford composers chosen from Composers’ Workshops will be premiered in this season, and Ewan Millar (winner of 2020 Concerto Competition) will perform an oboe concerto with the Orchestra.
We are in discussions for a series of Lunchtime Concerts in collaboration with the Faculty of Music.
In December 2021, the Orchestra will participate in the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of Keble College (delayed one year). The Orchestra has engaged Keble Honorary Fellow AnneSophie Mutter to perform Beethoven Violin Concerto at the Sheldonian on Friday 10 December.
The Registrar has extended the current duration of the Residency on account of the Coronavirus pandemic. The expiry date for the current license is now 31 December 2023.
We are delighted to announce that Professor Sir Andrew Pollard has joined our Trustee Board.
We are delighted to announce that Professor Irene Tracey has joined our Advisory Council.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra finances in full the cost of our Residency Programme for the benefit of the student community.
The 2021–22 season was particularly special as the Orchestra celebrated its 20th anniversary as Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford. The season was also especially exciting thanks to the all the Residency activity returning in full swing with the easing of Coronavirus restrictions, following the limited activity in the last season because of social distancing regulations.
The Oxford Philharmonic has welcomed a number of guest artists, as well as players from within the OPO’s own ranks, to expand the musical opportunities and horizons of the Oxford student body. In the masterclass series, Maxim Vengerov, Marios Papadopoulos and Laura Ruiz Ferreres, as well as many OPO principal players, shared their insight into the playing of their respective instruments in solo masterclasses and chamber workshops. One masterclass with Maxim Vengerov was a landmark in the OPO’s residency at the University of Oxford as it was the OPO’s first ever concerto masterclass. This violin concerto masterclass was accompanied by the Oxford University Orchestra and was attended by 500 concertgoers at the Sheldonian Theatre.
Throughout the season the OPO collaborated with many of the University’s choirs, including the Choir of Merton College, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, the Choir of Keble College, the Choir of the Queen’s College and Christ Church Cathedral Choir.
The Orchestra’s 2021/22 season featured the world premieres of four works selected from the Composers’ Workshop programme: Grace-Evangeline Mason’s To Breathe Now, The Light Thief by Carol J Jones, Sinfonietta by Alex Dakin and Touchless: A Disco by Toby Anderson.
The Oxford Philharmonic provided many more performance opportunities to students. The Orchestral Apprenticeship and Side-by-Side schemes offered students professional orchestral experience to rehearse and perform alongside the OPO. The Young Artists' Platform programme offered outstanding soloists the opportunity to perform a short recital in the Sheldonian prior to an Oxford Philharmonic evening concert. The Oxford Philharmonic also hosted tuition opportunities, offering a limited number of music students up to four instrumental lessons per term from the Soloists and Principals of the OPO, many of whom are professors in leading conservatoires. The Oxford Philharmonic ran the Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition, the winner of which has been invited to play a concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic in the 2022/23 season.
Two new schemes were introduced this year for University of Oxford students. A project was conducted in collaboration with the Saïd Business School MBA programme which aimed to examine parallels between an orchestral environment and a corporate structure. The OPO also began an Open Rehearsal programme, where select students interested in conducting attended OPO rehearsals at the Sheldonian Theatre to observe conducting technique and how the conductor runs a professional orchestral rehearsal.
This association between a world-class university and a resident professional orchestra presents innumerable opportunities for education and music-making. The OPO is extremely keen, both to build upon the framework they have this far established and to find new ways in which the University and the Orchestra can complement and enhance each other’s work.
Members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra are amongst some of the finest musicians in the country, and many are also experienced teachers in major conservatoires. The reputation of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as one of the leading orchestras in the UK also attracts some of the world’s greatest artists to appear in its concert series. With such outstanding musicians at our disposal, we offer unique and unparalleled opportunities for students to receive tuition in performance-related studies.
Following a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet
Concerto with the OPO in the Sheldonian the previous evening, Laura Ruiz Ferreres – OPO Solo Clarinet and Professor of Clarinet at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt – passed on her wisdom to three students in a masterclass at the Denis Arnold Hall During the class, Laura discussed various techniques for producing warm, resonant sound; practicing routines to improve posture, embouchure, and audience communication; and advised on several examples of musical interpretation.
As Founder and Music Director of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Marios Papadopoulos has developed an instinctive understanding with the musicians of the Orchestra over more than 20 seasons. In this conducting masterclass, he handed over the reins to young conductors from the University, leading them through interpretations of the ever-popular ‘Largo’ from Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony.
One of the main focuses of Marios was fluidity in movement. Marios discussed ways to combat jerkiness in movement and stiffness in the arms, as well as using baton movement not to place notes, but rather flow in a physical space. Players of the OPO also offered valuable advice.
This masterclass was organised in conjunction with the Oxford Conducting Institute.
Universally hailed as one of the world’s finest musicians and often referred to as the greatest living string player, Grammy Award winner Maxim Vengerov joined the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in February for an orchestral concert and masterclass. This masterclass is a landmark in the OPO’s residency at the University of Oxford as it is our first ever concerto masterclass.
Participating in the masterclass were two students on the MPhil in Music (Performance) course at the University of Oxford and a guest international student from the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. Accompanying the soloists was Oxford’s flagship student orchestra, the Oxford University Orchestra, under the baton of Marios Papadopoulos.
The masterclass was attended by 500 members of the public, a number close to that of an OPO concert.
Fitting for this occasion of a concerto masterclass, one of the main aspects discussed by Maxim was the soloist’s relation to the orchestra, questioning and debating with the performers on whether their role was in collaboration or in competition with the orchestra at specific points in the piece. Maxim also worked on violin technique, specifically bow technique, as he encouraged the students to increase their range of expression and sonority through more intelligent use of their bow and right arm. His representation of the bow as a wheel – in the sense that there should be no breaks in the sound when playing – was particularly valued by members of the Oxford University Orchestra. His teaching was deemed helpful and invaluable
by both soloists and players in the Oxford University Orchestra, and his delivery and presentation was described as engaging and jovial by members of the audience.
Described by The Times in 2015 as a player of ‘distinction and intelligence’, Anthony ‘Tony’ Robb has been a member of the Oxford Philharmonic since its inception and currently holds the position of Solo Flute. His discography includes a disc of chamber music by Jean Francaix for Oboe Classics, and two discs of chamber music by English and French female composers on the Ambache label.
In this workshop, Tony discussed the benefits of creating narratives and characterisation of musical lines, as well as the importance of finding the optimum level of phrasing as a group, particularly warning not phrase excessively. He also went into detail regarding the diaphragm, tensing it to make notes have a clear beginning and setting it to aid breathing.
Both Jon Thorne and Charlotte Scott are valued members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, as Solo Viola and Associate Concertmaster respectively. Charlotte trained as a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music, where Jon is now Professor of Viola and Chamber Music. As members of the Badke Quartet from 2013–2017, they have enjoyed an international concert schedule and are now members of the Oculi Ensemble.
In the masterclass, they offered their insights into how different composers’ accompanimental figures in the inner parts should be played, considering articulation and bow technique. They also discussed the optimal physical positioning of the members in each ensemble, in order to achieve the best connection among the players, while maintaining the most appropriate angle for projecting sound to the audience.
Described by The Times at his 1975 piano recital debut as ‘having all the attributes of one of the world’s greatest players’, Marios has gone on to enjoy an international career as both pianist and conductor. Marios is dedicated to nurturing young talent and through his vast experience is able to impart knowledge to young artists, particularly during the prestigious Oxford Piano Festival, which he founded in 1999. In 2015, he served on the jury of the Leeds International Piano Competition.
Marios touched on topics such as preparation and combatting performance nerves. He discussed technique, such as about weight in the fingers, speaking on how specific techniques can aid the phrasing. In that vein, Marios introduced more philosophical concepts regarding the symbiosis of the art and the craft of pianism.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra presents an annual orchestral composers’ workshop in conjunction with the Faculty of Music, affording invaluable experience for budding composers who rarely get an opportunity to hear their orchestral works performed, and even more rarely receive detailed feedback from the musicians.
During the workshop, each composer has their piece performed by the Oxford Philharmonic’s professional musicians, conducted by Professor John Traill, who himself is a composer and composition tutor. After each piece is performed, there is a discussion giving the composer helpful feedback. Each composer explains their artistic views and the musicians raise points and concerns, helping the composer think of new ways to achieve the sounds and effects they would like.
After the workshop, a panel decides a winning piece to be premiered by the OPO in an concert at the Sheldonian the following year.
The roster of this year’s composers comprised of ten students, all of whom were in the second and third years of their undergraduate degree apart from one MSt and one DPhil student. As with last year’s workshop, almost all these composers joined in person to discuss their work with conductor Professor John Traill and the players of the Orchestra. Only one was unable to attend because of Covid-19 and instead called in via Zoom.
As with each workshop, a panel decided a winning piece to be premiered by the OPO in an evening concert at the Sheldonian the following year. The panel this year was Professor , Professor , Dr , and OPO Assistant Concertmaster .
This year, two composers were chosen to have their pieces performed in the 2022/23 season:
In 2019 and 2020, three students’ pieces had been chosen to be performed by the OPO in the following year. Unfortunately, the concerts that originally featured these compositions were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These pieces were reprogrammed and featured in concerts in our 2021–22 season, in addition to the 2021 winning piece as usual.
All compositions were programmed into OPO evening concerts at the Sheldonian Theatre, attended by capacity audiences.
Professional orchestral experience and training is available to string instrumentalists who are enrolled full-time at the University of Oxford. Candidates selected by audition are invited to play in up to four concerts with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and preceding rehearsals in London, and an award of £100 per concert.
This season, three students were selected to take part on the apprenticeship scheme. Out of the four concerts listed below, one student played in three and the other two students played in all four.
Following the successful launch in 2019/20 and hiatus thanks to Covid19, the OPO’s Side-by-Side scheme recommenced in the 2021/22 season. As was in the inaugural Side-by-Side season, participants, selected by audition, were invited to play alongside members of the orchestra for an orchestral rehearsal and performance of an overture in two concerts of the OPO season. The participants consisted of a mixture of students aged 14+ from around Oxfordshire. This season, ten participants were students from University of Oxford students and three were students at Oxfordshire secondary schools.
Additional features were added to the Side-by-Side programme in the 2021/22 season, such as sectional rehearsals, where an OPO player coached each their section of Sideby-Side players on the performance day before the orchestral rehearsal. This season also introduced an informal tea reception, which allowed for socialisation and discussion between the OPO and Side-by-Side players, and a webinar, which allowed students to obtain insights into the repertoire they were playing prior to the concert day, gain tips on how to prepare their parts, and learn more about what to expect in a professional orchestra rehearsal.
The scheme was coordinated and conducted by Dr , OPO Conducting Fellow and Director of Performance, St Catherine’s College.
YAP gives students the opportunity to perform a 20-minute recital before one of the OPO concerts at the Sheldonian Theatre. Two students from the University of Oxford and one student from an Oxfordshire school were selected, following an audition at the beginning of the academic year to a panel consisting of (Director of Performance, St Catherine’s College and OPO Associate Conductor), (OPO Solo Flute), and (OPO Cello). Each recital was attended by upwards of 40 concertgoers.
Performers also receive a £100 award for their recital.
Launched in 2011/12, the Oxfordshire Concerto Competition is split across two levels, alternating between a Junior and Senior competition each year. In 2021/22 we presented the Senior competition, allowing the top young musicians aged 23 and under who reside or study in Oxfordshire to compete for the opportunity to perform a full concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2022/23 season.
There are three rounds to the competition: the auditions, semi-final, and final. Each round requires different skills from the musicians and take place in front of a distinguished panel before an overall winner is announced at the climax of the final. Three competitors make it through the auditions round and the semi-final, in which they perform a short recital programme. In the final, they are joined by the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra to perform a movement of a concerto.
In addition to the opportunity to perform a full concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, the winner receives a cash prize of £1000, and the two runners-up receive a cash prize of £250.
The competition is open to all students and residents of Oxfordshire aged 23 and under.
Two University of Oxford students and one student of Abingdon School reached the final. Following a rousing performance from all, the two University students were declared runners-up
and the competition was won by the school student. The final was attended by over 200 concertgoers
The adjudication panel for the final consisted of (Director of Musical Performance and Performance Studies, Faculty of Music), (OCYO conductor and Director of Music, St Anne’s College), (OPO Advisory Council), and (OPO Assistant Concertmaster).
Following a round of initial auditions, seven players, of whom four were students of the University of Oxford, performed a short recital to around 20 concertgoers and a panel of adjudicators. The panel consisted of , (OPO Solo Cello), and (OPO Sub-Principal Oboe).
As winner of the 2020 Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition, Ewan Millar was due to perform a concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2020–21 season. Covid restrictions in 2021 meant that the concert had to be postponed, and the OPO and Ewan were able to perform it in early 2022.
Members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, many of whom hold positions in the top conservatoires, give lessons to University of Oxford students and the Orchestra covers up to £200 worth of these lessons per term.
With the aim of broadening our tuition, this year we have welcomed a larger number of students onto our tuition scheme.
The aspect of the residency programme from which students across the university most benefit is the special student rate we apply for tickets to our Oxford concerts. Every OPO concert in Oxford offers £5 tickets for full-time students. In the 2021/22 season, we sold over 4000 such tickets, offering all students the opportunity to experience great music and musicianship, regardless of cost.
This effort is supported by the Oxford Philharmonic’s Concert Access Fund. The Orchestra has received some feedback which attests to the impact this programme has on the student community, and the full student ticket survey can be found as the appendix of this report.
A project was conducted which aimed to examine whether there are parallels to be drawn between an orchestral environment and a corporate structure, particularly at leadership level between the conductor and CEO.
Around 80 MBA total students from the Saïd Business School sat in on four orchestral rehearsals at the Sheldonian Theatre.
During the Trinity Term, four of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra's rehearsals at the Sheldonian Theatre were open to select students interested in conducting. These rehearsals were a great opportunity to observe how the conductor runs a professional orchestral rehearsal.
Throughout the season the OPO collaborated with many of the University’s choirs, including the Choir of Merton College, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, the Choir of Keble College, the Choir of the Queen’s College and Christ Church Cathedral Choir.
The OPO hosted an event at Buckingham Palace to thank the donors and benefactors of the orchestra and celebrate the 20th anniversary for the OPO as the Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford.
The OPO commissioned MSt composition student to write a piece for a flute–viola–piano trio, dedicated to the OPO's royal patron, HRH Princess Alexandra. The piece was performed by (University of Oxford alumnus), (Director of Performance Studies at the Faculty of Music) and
This year is particularly special as the OPO celebrates its 20th anniversary as Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford, with a celebratory concert which took place on 17 November 2022.
This season hosts a grand series of masterclasses and workshops. Maxim Vengerov, Andrew Marriner, Alban Gerhardt, Radek Baborák, Marios Papadopoulos, as well as a number of our principal players, will share their insight into the playing of their respective instruments and the honing of their crafts.
Throughout the season the OPO will collaborate with the University’s choirs, including the Choir of Merton College and the Choir of The Queen’s College.
The Orchestra’s 2022/23 season has featured the world premieres of two works selected from our Composers’ Workshop in February 2022: The Withdrawal by Jieun Lee and Poppy Song by Kevin Zheng.
The Oxford Philharmonic continues to offer other opportunities to students, such as side-byside performance, apprenticeships in orchestral playing and one-to-one instrumental tuition from our members. Several programmes have been revived such as open orchestral rehearsals and opportunities to work with OPO musicians on outreach projects. OPO have also introduced Q&A sessions for students with the OPO management and administrative team to learn about a career in their field.
Members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra are amongst some of the finest musicians in the country, and many are also experienced teachers in major conservatoires. The reputation of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra as one of the leading orchestras in the UK also attracts some of the world’s greatest artists to appear in its concert series. With such outstanding musicians at our disposal, we offer unique and unparalleled opportunities for students to receive tuition in performance-related studies.
Preceding an evening performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds in E flat major, K. 297b with the OPO in the Sheldonian, Radek Baborák – horn player and conductor who has been appointed Principal Horn in orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic – passed on his wisdom to two students in a masterclass in Trinity College Chapel.
During the class, Radek discussed the importance of phrasing, nuances in the Classical style, the necessity for awareness of different acoustics in different spaces and trill articulation. The class ended with an impromptu Q&A session from the audience.
Andrew Marriner plays periodically as guest principal with OPO and held the position of principal clarinet in the London Symphony Orchestra for 33 years.
In this class, Andrew discussed an immense range of topics, engaging both the performers and audience. He discussed how intonation can be affected by the model of instrument as well as specific fingerings. He elucidated the ways timbre can be affected, through breath support, different facial expressions and imagining embouchure as the shape of the mouth when vocalising different vowel sounds.
World-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov returns to our Residency Programme to run another masterclass with the top violin students of the University of Oxford. This was the first time we had used this venue, in the Music School of St Edward’s School, and it was a great fit. The class was attended by 100 concertgoers.
Maxim delved into techniques such as vibrato, bowing and shifting, and discussed the importance of the ‘performance’, such as using breaths and gaps in the music to connect with audiences.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra presents an annual orchestral composers’ workshop in conjunction with the Faculty of Music, affording invaluable experience for budding composers who rarely get an opportunity to hear their orchestral works performed, and even more rarely receive detailed feedback from the musicians.
During the workshop, each composer has their piece performed by the Oxford Philharmonic’s professional musicians, conducted by Professor John Traill, who himself is a composer and composition tutor. After each piece is performed, there is a discussion giving the composer helpful feedback. Each composer explains their artistic views and the musicians raise points and concerns, helping the composer think of new ways to achieve the sounds and effects they would like.
After the workshop, a panel decides up to two pieces to be premiered by the OPO in a concert at the Sheldonian the following year.
The roster of this year’s composers comprised of eight students, all of whom were undergraduate students bar one MSt. All composers joined in person to discuss their work with conductor Professor John Traill and the players of the Orchestra.
As with previous workshops, a panel decided a winning piece to be premiered by the OPO in an evening concert at the Sheldonian the following year. The panel this year was , and . A form was also created for the OPO players to express their opinions of the pieces and their preference on which should be premiered. 17 members of the Orchestra filled out the survey, and the panel took these points into account.
This year, two composers were chosen to have their pieces performed in the 2023/24 season:
In 2022, two students’ pieces had been chosen to be performed by the OPO in the following academic year. These concerts at the Sheldonian Theatre were attended by capacity audiences.
Professional orchestral experience and training is available to string instrumentalists who are enrolled full-time at the University of Oxford. Candidates selected by audition are invited to play in up to four concerts with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and preceding rehearsals in London, and an award of £100 per concert.
This season, four students were selected to take part on the apprenticeship scheme. The students will be performing in concerts later this year.
Participants on the Side-by-Side scheme, selected by audition, were invited to play alongside members of the orchestra for an orchestral rehearsal and performance of an overture in three concerts of the OPO season, two of which are to come later in the year. The participants consisted of a mixture of students aged 14+ from around Oxfordshire. This season, 13 participants were students from the University of Oxford.
The students participated in sectional rehearsals, where an OPO player each coached their section of Side-by-Side players on the performance day before the orchestral rehearsal. There was also a webinar, which allowed students to obtain insights into the repertoire they were playing prior to the concert day, gain tips on how to prepare their parts, and learn more about what to expect in a professional orchestra rehearsal.
YAP gives students the opportunity to perform a 20-minute recital before one of the OPO concerts at the Sheldonian Theatre. One student soloist and duo from the University of Oxford and one student from an Oxfordshire school were selected, following an audition at the beginning of the academic year to a panel consisting of (Director of Performance, St Catherine’s College and OPO Associate Conductor), (OPO Solo Flute), and (OPO Sub-Principal Cello). Each recital was attended by upwards of 100 concertgoers.
Performers also receive a £100 award for their recital.
Members of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, many of whom hold positions in the top conservatoires, give lessons to University of Oxford students and the Orchestra covers up to £200 worth of these lessons per term.
With the aim of broadening our tuition, this year we have continued to increase the number of participants on our Tuition Scheme.
The aspect of the residency programme from which most students across the university most benefit is the special student rate we apply for tickets to our Oxford concerts. Every OPO concert in Oxford offers £5 tickets for full-time students. This effort is supported by the Oxford Philharmonic’s Concert Access Fund.
Throughout the season the OPO collaborated with many of the University’s choirs, including the Choir of Merton College, the Choir of The Queen’s College, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, the Choir of Keble College and Christ Church Cathedral Choir. The first two listed joined OPO to perform Bruckner’s Te Deum on 17 November in our University Residency 20th Anniversary concert.
In a series of three Q&A sessions over Zoom in January 2023 for students and members of the Faculty of Music, the OPO administrative team shed some light on the different aspects of orchestral management, and what each individual role involves. Each session was attended by around 10 students, most of whom were in orchestral administrative roles in OUMS ensembles, and was positively received.
In an effort to challenge and gradually combat the environmental issues of the music industry, we have begun to roll out a scheme of using digital programmes rather than printed ones in all of our masterclasses. In the future, we hope to eventually make the change for our concerts to have primarily digital programmes.
This survey was sent out as an online survey to any customer who had purchased a student ticket between September 2021 and August 2022. Results were obtained from 114 students.
Part 1: Attendance of concerts
Most students attended between 1 and 5 concerts in 2021/22 season.
For 16 students (14.04%), the Oxford Philharmonic was the first classical music concert they had attended. Most had attended more than 5 classical music concerts previously.
The vast majority of students had attended another arts, theatre or music event in the timeframe.
Almost all students want the student tickets to be continued.
Part 2: Background of students
2.1 Information about the background of the students purchasing student tickets
2.2 Background of what stage the students are at in their education
Part 3: Students’ experience
3.1 Reasons for attending
The top 3 motivations students had to attend the concert were “Music is an important part of who I am”, “To enjoy the atmosphere” and “To be inspired”.
3.2 Impact of the concert in different areas of students’ life
50% of students rated the concert 5/5 for having a very positive impact on their mental health, while a further 32.46% rated it 4/5.
Furthermore, in terms of “broadening horizons”, “intellectual stimulation” and “social life”, most students rated the concert 5/5 for having a very positive impact (41.23%, 38.60% and 31.58% respectively).
There were mixed results for “studies”, with ratings spread fairly evenly from no impact to very positive impact.
Overall, most students found the concert to have a very positive impact in one or more of these aspects.
Part 4: Marketing
4.1 How the students heard about the Oxford Philharmonic
Most students heard about the Orchestra from a poster.
Most students heard about the student discount from the Oxford Philharmonic website.
4.2 Other student activities in Oxford
The students were asked if they knew of any other recreational activities available to students in Oxford for £5. Some of the answers are as follows:
• I believe National History Museum and Botanical Gardens are free
• Punting
• College chapel tickets
• The University libraries, parks, museums, and gardens, most of which are free for students
• Screenings at the Ultimate Picture Palace cost £5 for students, and the Phoenix Picturehouse offers £5 tickets to under-25s on weekdays
• Art galleries
Part 5: Conclusion
At the end of the survey, the students were given the chance to add any last thoughts. Some of the highlights are as follows:
• Thank you so much for your recommendations for the concerts, I attended, and every single one was brilliant!
• Please preserve student tickets - they have such value to people like me.
• I really appreciate OPO offering student tickets. It makes it possible for students that aren't wealthy to enjoy music also.
• This is a really great scheme! It's fantastic for disadvantaged students too. I hope student pricing stays like this, I will come for every concert!
• Truly appreciate the student tickets! I had a challenging start to the year and getting to attend so many concerts in late spring was massively impactful on my recovery
• Student tickets make affordable for students to experience high quality music
• Thank you so much for offering these tickets! It has meant that I have persuaded many friends to come who wouldn't otherwise think to do so, and they've all had a wonderful time
• please keep the cheap tickets, it meant I was able to attend the concerts
• Fantastic experience!
• Please keep the student tickets; I am so poor but love music so much
• The £5 tickets were a lifesaver! I've never been able to attend concerts so affordably, and if I were in Oxford for more than 1 year I would definitely attend more.
• It was very important for me to attend the concerts
• Thank you for delighting us with your music.
• It was absolutely brilliant.
• Please stay £5
• Thank you for the sublime quality of performances
• Please keep providing 5 pound tickets. They're very important for me, as prices keep rising but I'd really like to still enjoy classical music.
• It’s been breathtaking to see all the concerts, and if it wasn't for the student tickets I would not be able to. Please keep them!
• Thank you Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for a wonderful 4 years of concerts during my studies! I have now left the University and reside in London - but hope to return to Oxford and the Sheldonian for more concerts in the near future!
• The concerts were one of the best parts of life in Oxford. Studying is very stressful and paying £5 for a concert was a way for me to destress. This helped me with my mental health and my academic studies.
• I am so grateful for the student discount tickets. There is no way I would otherwise have been able to afford the concerts because finances are extremely tight for me because I come from an underprivileged background and receive no support from my family (e.g. I save money from my food budget to be able to go to these concerts). They have been as essential to my mental health (following family deaths, I struggled with terrible depression and suicidal thoughts) as medical help and psycotherapy. I am so, so grateful. Thank you, and please keep providing them for other students to be able to receive similar benefits.
• I am answering for my daughter - it gave us the chance to connect over music. It was fabulous.
• Thank you so much for the student tickets!!
• I think that student tickets are a great way to get people out more often to see cultural shows. If I couldn't get a student discount, my outings would be limited to perhaps 2-3 times per year. I really appreciate having a budget option.
• £5 student tickets is very useful for students! I also invited many of my friends to go to the concerts together and we had so much good time together :)
• Thank you for offering and organising such quality concerts
• Thank you so much for making music affordable and accessible to students!
• No, just thank you for doing this
