from the press release. Picture of Benjamin Appl (c) David Murano

The Oxford International Song Festival marks its 25th anniversary with a thrilling and wide-ranging programme centred on the theme of love. Spanning 59 events, the Festival explores love in its myriad forms – its joys, complexities, and heartbreaks expressed in music and poetry, and its creative force in the lives of composers and poets. Alongside headline recitals by world-leading artists, audiences can enjoy lunchtime, rush-hour and late-night concerts, as well as study events. The programme is further enriched by choral music, dance, chamber works and discussions.

The Festival opens on 9 October with a recital by Dame Sarah Connolly, also marking the Festival’s first event at the newly opened Schwarzman Centre. Baritone Matthias Goerne makes his Festival debut on 10 October with a performance of Schubert’s Winterreise at the Olivier Hall. Other featured singers include Carolyn Sampson, Benjamin Appl, Katie Bray, Roderick Williams, Alice Coote, Katharina Ruckgaber, Johannes Kammler, Camilla Tilling, Sarah Maria Sun, Anna Prohaska and Christoph Prégardien. They are joined by pianists including Joseph Middleton, Tamara Stefanovich, James Baillieu and Pauliina Tukiainen, among many others, including the Festival’s Artistic Director, Sholto Kynoch.

The programme includes several world premieres: Nardus Williams performs Marriage of…?, a new work by Associate Composer Emily Hazrati and librettist Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambahksh; Katy Thomson and Rustam Khanmurzin premiere a new work by John Webb, exploring the corrupting nature of power; and Anna Dennis and John Reid present The Silent Songs of Josefine, a bold new Kafka-inspired work by Can Bilir.

The Festival’s central weekend (17–18 October) is devoted to the music of Franz Schubert, with Graham Johnson continuing his landmark exploration of the composer’s final years, 200 years on. Other highlights of the weekend include Camilla Tilling returning to perform Schubert’s Rückert settings and Helen Charlston (below) performing Die Schöne Müllerin, both with Sholto Kynoch; and Sarah Maria Sun performing Der Hirt auf dem Felsen with pianist Jan Philip Schulze and clarinettist Julian Bliss.

On Wednesday 21 October, the New Generation Day showcases three concerts in partnership with the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme, all recorded for future broadcast. Performers include baritone Andrew Hamilton and pianist Michael Pandya; soprano Erika Baikoff with Sholto Kynoch; and Konstantin Krimmel with Ammiel Bushakevitz, presenting a programme that includes Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel.

Louise Alder and Joseph Middleton explore the passing of the year in a programme featuring Helen Grime’s Seasons, written for them in 2025. Alice Coote and Julius Drake present an imaginative recital blending repertoire from David Bowie to Mozart. Renowned pianist Dame Imogen Cooper performs Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch as part of her final concert season before retirement. Juliane Banse returns with pianist Alexander Krichel, dancer István Simon and choreographer Andreas Heise for a danced performance of Mozart songs and piano music.

Instrumental highlights include appearances by the Carducci String Quartet, performing the Mozart Quintet with Julian Bliss and Alec Roth’s Seven Elements with James Gilchrist, guitarists Bryan Brenner and Václav Fuksa, and accordionist Murray Grainger. Eight Oxford Song Young Artist duos each give short showcase slots at the start of headline evening recitals in the first week of the Festival. In the second week, they immerse themselves in the residential Mastercourse, led by Jan Philip Schulze, with daily public masterclasses.

With thousands of tickets priced under £20, discounts for multiple bookings, and £10 tickets available for under-35s, the Festival remains accessible to the widest possible audience.

Each autumn, audiences from around the world are drawn to Oxford for the Festival’s outstanding artistic quality and the city’s unique atmosphere. Performances take place in a range of venues, including the historic Holywell Music Room – Europe’s oldest purpose-built concert hall – as well as the Levine Building, the Olivier Hall, Garsington Studios at the Wormsley Estate and, for the first time, spaces within the Schwarzman Centre.

Public booking opens on Wednesday 20 May. Tickets can be booked online at oxfordsong.org or via the Box Office on 01865 591276 (Monday to Friday, 11am–1pm).

Published post no.2,878 – Tuesday 5 May 2026