Oxford International Song Festival
Cities of Song: People, Places, Music
11 to 26 October 2024
The UK’s largest song festival, now in its 23rd year, features 70 events over 16 days.
World premiere includes a unique reimagining of the Bhagavad Gita by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail.
A headline series of evening song recitals is complemented by a wide range of other events, including chamber and choral music, talks, tours, masterclasses, and more.
With tickets starting at £7, several free events, £10 tickets for under-35s at every event, and a choice of discounts and concessionary rates, the Festival is accessible to all.
The Oxford International Song Festival (11 to 26 October 2024) presents a thrilling fortnight of exploration, discovery, and insight this autumn. This year’s broad theme of cities that have inspired and influenced composers will see over 200 singers, instrumentalists and speakers performing hundreds of works at 70 events, including the great song cycles of Schubert and Robert Schumann alongside Baroque lute songs, contemporary works hot off the press, some exceptional chamber music, and choral performances.
Artists include Roderick Williams and Natalie Burch who give the opening recital on 11 October; soprano Carolyn Sampson joined by pianist Joseph Middleton (12 Oct); tenor Hiroshi Amako with pianist Michael Dussek (20 Oct); Claire Booth (12 and 18 Oct); Sarah Wegener and Götz Payer (13 Oct); Dame Sarah Connolly (13 Oct); Christoph Prégardien and Sholto Kynoch (14 Oct); Jess Dandy and Keval Shah (15 Oct); Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber (16 Oct); Dietrich Henschel with Ensemble 360 (18 Oct); and Sophie Karthäuser (19 Oct). International artists appearing for the first time include Holger Falk (14 Oct); Christian Immler (19 Oct); Erika Baikoff (25 Oct); Will Liverman (24 Oct); and Heidi Stober, appearing with Tanya Blaich in a programme inspired by Samuel Barber’s song Despite and Still (24 Oct).
The world premiere of a specially commissioned work for the 2024 Festival by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail – settings of Sanskrit verses from the Bhagavad Gita – will be performed by Jess Dandy and Keval Shah, who join forces to showcase this unique reimagining of India’s most celebrated and influential scripture (15 Oct). New songs by the emerging star composer Emily Hazrati will be sung by Ella Taylor with Jocelyn Freeman (18 Oct); and Jennifer Walshe performs selections from her album A Late Anthology of Early Music Vol. 1: Ancient to Renaissance, before leading a discussion on the potential uses of AI in the music of the present and future (22 Oct).
The cream of the new generation includes mezzo-soprano Angharad Rowlands, soprano Katy Thomson, bass-baritone James Newby (BBC New Generation Artist 2018 to 2020), and tenor Ted Black, amongst many others. Eight of the evening recitals begin with a short Emerging Artist slot, giving a vital showcase to outstanding young professionals.
Anne Le Bozec makes a welcome return to the Festival to lead the annual Mastercourse (21-26 Oct). The course offers a fantastic opportunity for the eight outstanding duos of Oxford International Song Festival’s Young Artist Programme to immerse themselves in song and learn from the very best international tutors and performers. It also gives an insight into the creative process for members of the public. Le Bozec will be joined by four guest tutors, including Dame Stéphane Degout, who will share their wisdom.
The middle weekend of the Festival (19-20 Oct) is dedicated to Franz Schubert, part of a build-up to the Schubert bicentenary in 2028. The weekend’s centrepiece will be a lecture-recital led by Graham Johnson, giving his seminal ongoing survey of Schubert’s life 200 years on. To explore Schubert in 1824, he will be joined by singers including the English soprano Harriet Burns and German bass-baritone Stephan Loges. Other recitals are given by Christian Immler and Sophie Karthäuser, and the weekend concludes with Christopher Maltman and Audrey Saint-Gil performing Winterreise.
A host of ‘Song Connections’ events include: a celebration of Haydn’s time in England and Oxford; an exploration into Leipzig and Berlin, and what drew composers to the two cities from all over Europe; a look into what exile meant to a wide range of composers after they were displaced and made their home in new cities; SongPath at Worcester College Gardens; a talk exploring Kafka’s Prague and the author’s connections to the music world; a visit to the Bodleian Libraries for an exploration of the Bhagavad Gita with an introduction and recitations from the text; talks on Lord Byron and Arnold Schoenberg; and an illustrated talk led by speaker Professor Philip Ross Bullock exploring Vienna at the end of the nineteenth century as a global melting pot for the arts. Late night events include Claire Booth and Tamsin Waley-Cohen performing György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments in the atmospheric setting of the candlelit fifteenth-century chapel of New College (12 Oct), and the Castalian String Quartet performing Schubert’s Rosamunde in the same magical setting (19 Oct).
Some events are free or priced at just £7-£10, and there are hundreds of tickets available for £13 or less. A generous range of discounts are offered to anyone booking multiple events, and tickets are available for £10 at all events for under-35s. Venues include the Weston Library Lecture Theatre, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, the Holywell Music Room (Europe’s oldest concert hall), the Levine Building at Trinity College, Worcester College Gardens, the Oakeshott Room at Lincoln College, the Olivier Hall at St Edward’s School, the Bodleian Libraries, the New Space, St John the Evangelist Church, and several college chapels.
Sholto Kynoch, Artistic Director of Oxford International Song Festival, said: ‘This is our 23rd festival, and a thrilling fortnight of song awaits, packed with 70 events and an array of world-class musicians. As well as the great works of Schubert and {Robert] Schumann, we have a huge breadth of music spanning centuries and in multiple languages. For those who are new to the Festival, I hope they will find much to intrigue and inspire. Our celebratory and welcoming spirit is brighter than ever!
This year’s broad theme of the cities that inspired and influenced composers aligns music with people and places in a wide variety of ways. The rich programme of songs is complemented by some exceptional chamber music and choral performances, and I feel that there is truly something here for everyone. Audience members may just choose a couple of favourite events, but I always say that the best way to experience the Festival is by immersion: if you can, take a day or two (or 16!) and come to everything.
Whether people are returning to us or exploring for the first time, I hope they will find much that inspires. The Festival fortnight is my favourite part of the year: musically thrilling, sociable, and uplifting. I am already counting down the days, and I look forward to welcoming audiences in person and celebrating the vital and varied world of song in all its glorious guises.‘
Explore and book by clicking here / 01865 591276 (11am-4pm)