We return to the chamber works of W.A. Mozart with three of his most refined piano concertos, performed with pianist Cristian Sandrin.

W.A. Mozart: The Chamber Concertos

National Liberal Club

Wadham College

St Mary's Church, Twickenham

Britain’s Beethoven pianist par-excellence, Paul Lewis, joins the orchestra and Music Director Marios Papadopoulos in the perfect surroundings of the Sheldonian Theatre for the piano concerto in which Beethoven presented himself as the bringer of peace to a world of fermenting strife. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 is treasured not for its revolutionary heroism but for its poise and humanity. The same might be said of the composer’s Symphony No. 4, a work more guarded and contained than its more famous neighbours in which Beethoven apparently escaped into a world of pure, natural beauty.

Paul Lewis

University of Oxford

The final of our biennial Young Singers' Competition, to be held in the Leonard Wolfson auditorium, Wolfson College, Oxford.

Finalists' names will be announced as soon as possible after the (closed) semifinal, which takes place on 1&2 November.

Young Singers Competition 2025

Wolfson College

In 1948, Richard Strauss sensed the end was nigh. Germany lay in ruins, its major opera houses destroyed by war. As his attempts to ignite a cultural rebirth in his homeland proved futile, Strauss turned to music. His final goodbye was a series of four iconic orchestral songs that, in the words of David Bowie, ‘ache with love for a life quietly fading.’ Lucy Crowe joins the Orchestra for a performance of Strauss’s profoundly moving musical epitaph alongside the Orchestra’s Solo Oboe Gordon Hunt performing Strauss’s tender Oboe Concerto written just a few years earlier.

Four Last Songs

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

Step into a world of twinkling lights, ticking clocks, and toys that might just come to life… Follow young Marie as she’s swept from her family’s festive parlour into an enchanting adventure, where she must journey through a magical land of sweets, face the fearsome Mouse King, and join forces with a brave Nutcracker in the battle of a lifetime.

This Christmas, Creation Theatre brings a brand-new theatrical take on The Nutcracker — adapted from the original E.T.A. Hoffmann tale and filled with wonder, mischief, and festive adventure. Expect dancing (not always by ballerinas), magical transformations, and a generous helping of nutty humour — all wrapped up in a glorious score by Patrick Stockbridge, with live music and toe-tapping tunes.

The Nutcracker

The North Wall Arts Centre Oxford

We are delighted to welcome British soprano Louise Alder, ‘a terrific talent, combining a big, lustrous voice with flawless intonation and keen intelligence’ (The Times) for a Vocal Masterclass with up-and-coming young singers.

We welcome applications from advanced students (of at least Diploma standard). This masterclass is open to all vocalists who are part-time or full-time students at a UK higher education institution. Up to three vocalists will be selected.

Vocal Masterclass with Louise Alder

Join Creation for a very special evening of poems and carols!

Many of our favourite actors, creatives and collaborators will be gathering to read a selection of Christmas poems, and lead us all in the singing of some carols. A chance to gather and get into the Christmas spirit (with plenty of mulled wine and mince pies, and a Christmas tombola)…

Last year’s event sold out, so please do book ahead.

Poems & Carols

Summertown United Reformed Church

The stunning international smash hit and audience favourite War Horse gallops back onto stages across the country. Based on Michael Morpurgo's heartbreaking novel and featuring the incredible talents of South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, War Horse has conquered the globe with its breathtaking fusion of drama and innovative awe-inspiring puppetry.

War Horse

New Theatre Oxford

‘I did think I did see all Heaven before me,’ wrote its composer as he finished a musical reflection on faith that still brings audiences to their feet nearly three centuries after it was written. Handel’s oratorio Messiah changed the landscape of vocal music in Britain and has provided a soundtrack to the festive period for the nearly three centuries since. Join Marios Papadopoulos, a first-rate quartet of soloists and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir for a Yuletide rendition of this rousing celebration of celestial joy and human togetherness.

Handel Messiah

EPSG:4326

A Night of Carols

Dorchester Abbey

St Hilda's College

Glazunov’s Violin Concerto is one of the best-kept secrets of the romantic repertoire, a score whose sensuous, rhapsodic solo line weaves sweetness and melancholia. The sensational prodigy Paloma So plays it here but for the rest of this concert, prepare to party like its 1899 as the Oxford Philharmonic masquerades as its Vienna counterpart to bring in the New Year with the stirring marches, pointed polkas and elegant waltzes of Austrian tradition. Marios Papadopoulos takes charge of music bounding with joie de vivre that’s also all about detail and style. There’s no better way to drive away the January blues than be swept away by some of the most embracing music ever written.

A Viennese New Year

Oxford Town Hall

Alasdair Malloy and the Oxford Philharmonic proudly present another bold, brilliant, blockbusting programme, this time celebrating all your Family Film Favourites! Join us for the most wonderful time in the concert hall where the music of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Frozen, Coco, Encanto and a Disney Quiz will transport you to a world of fantasy and adventure. Don’t forget to come dressed up in your most creative costumes for the occasion!

FUNomusica Family Concert: Family Film Favourites

A captivating programme unfolds with the soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, showcasing a rich blend of Czech and French musical traditions. Dvořák’s Terzetto in C major brings a lively, spirited trio to life, followed by Suk’s deeply emotional Meditation on the old Czech Hymn ‘St Wenceslas’, a tribute to Czech heritage. Janáček’s String Quartet No. 1, ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ sears with intensity, capturing the drama of Tolstoy’s novella. The concert concludes with Fauré’s lush Piano Quintet No. 1, a work of sweeping lyricism and passionate contrasts.

Chamber Music at Merton

Merton College

The evening begins with a world premiere by Mackinnon-Botti, a contemporary composition that promises to challenge and inspire, featuring the composer himself as beatboxing soloist. This is followed by Schoenberg’s Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, delivering a dramatic exploration of political power, brought to life through a vivid orchestral and vocal arrangement. The concert concludes with Haydn’s Nelson Mass, a monumental work combining magnificence and emotional depth, showcasing the brilliance of both the orchestra and choir.

Haydn Nelson Mass

We are thrilled to welcome OPO Solo Flute Anthony Robb for our first masterclass of 2026.

We welcome applications from advanced students (of at least Diploma standard). This masterclass is open to all flautists who are part-time or full-time students at a UK higher education institution. Up to three flautists will be selected.

Flute Masterclass with Anthony Robb

Richard Strauss spent the first half of his career producing a string of opulent, proto-cinematic tone poems that redefined orchestral virtuosity. The most epic of them is also the consummate musical autobiography. Ein Heldenleben is a picture of ambition, bravery and resilience which combines music of unprecedented richness, excitement and tenderness. Strauss’s bold orchestration might scatter its adversaries with panache but it concludes with a humbling glimpse of life’s spiritual journey. Before it, Giuseppe Gibboni is the soloist for the spirited momentum and tender repose of OPO Composer-in-Residence Alexey Shor’s Violin Concerto No. 7.

Ein Heldenleben

St Giles Orchestra January 2026 Concert

St Andrew's Church

Join us for an unforgettable evening at the New Theatre Oxford on February 1st, 2026, hosted by The Lowry Theatre. The event starts at 19:30 and promises to be a thrilling experience. The Lowry Theatre, known for its captivating performances, is bringing the magic to Oxford, UK. Don't miss out on this opportunity to witness the magic of performing arts in a unique setting. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the primary event link. You can also explore more about The Lowry Theatre on their official website and YouTube channel. See you there!

Chris McCausland: Yonks!

Violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov joins Marios Papadopoulos and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for a stunning evening of intensity and grandeur. Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor, with its raw, dramatic sweep, provides the perfect showcase for Vengerov’s extraordinary technique and emotional depth. Following, Brahms’s First Symphony unleashes a tidal wave of tension and triumph, with Papadopoulos leading the orchestra through its stirring passages, culminating in a glorious, heroic conclusion.

Events in Oxford

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Paul Lewis

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Four Last Songs

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

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The Nutcracker

Creation Theatre

Vocal Masterclass with Lo...

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Poems & Carols

Creation Theatre

War Horse

New Theatre Oxford

Handel Messiah

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

A Night of Carols

Orchestra of St John’s

Handel Messiah

Orchestra of St John’s

A Viennese New Year

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

FUNomusica Family Concert...

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Chamber Music at Merton

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Haydn Nelson Mass

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Flute Masterclass with An...

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Ein Heldenleben

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

St Giles Orchestra Januar...

St Giles Orchestra

Chris McCausland: Yonks!

The Lowry Theatre

Maxim Vengerov

Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra