The Oxford International Song Festival (formerly the Oxford Lieder Festival) is back for its 23rd year with 70 events in 16 days, from 11 to 26 October 2024. Under the title of Cities of Song: People, Places, Music the festival explores the broad theme of cities that have inspired and influenced composers. With over 200 singers, instrumentalists and speakers in hundreds of works including the great song cycles of Schubert and Schumann alongside Baroque lute songs, contemporary works hot off the press, some exceptional chamber music, and choral performances.
World premieres include Silent Songs of Josefine, a Kafka-inspired work by Can Bilir, performed by soprano Mimi Doulton with pianist Dylan Perez, and a reimagining of the Bhagavad Gita by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, performed by contralto Jess Dandy and pianist Keval Shah. New songs by the emerging star composer Emily Hazrati will be sung by soprano Ella Taylor with pianist Jocelyn Freeman [see my recent review of their performances of Hazrati’s songs at SongEasel in SE London]
Irish composer and vocalist 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.
New generation performers at the festival include mezzo-soprano Angharad Rowlands, soprano Katy Thomson, bass-baritone James Newby (BBC New Generation Artist 2018 to 2020), and tenor Ted Black.. 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 return to the Festival to lead the annual Mastercourse, an opportunity for the eight outstanding duos from the 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.
The middle weekend of the Festival is dedicated to Franz Schubert, part of a build-up to the Schubert bicentenary in 2028. The centrepiece will be a lecture-recital led by Graham Johnson, giving his ongoing survey of Schubert’s life 200 years on. So this year he explores Schubert in 1824, and 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.
Late night events include soprano Claire Booth and violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen performing György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments in the atmospheric setting of the candlelit 15th-century chapel of New College , and the Castalian String Quartet performing Schubert’s Rosamunde in the same magical setting.
