Oxford International Song Festival
 | |
| Company type | Company limited by guarantee, registered charity |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music & entertainment |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Oxford, England |
Key people | Sholto Kynoch: Founder-director |
| Website | oxfordsong |
The Oxford International Song Festival (formerly the Oxford Lieder Festival prior to 2023) is a UK-based classical music festival, specialising in the art-song repertoire.
History
[edit]The Festival was founded in 2002 by the pianist Sholto Kynoch,[1] and in a short space of time grew to be the United Kingdom's largest art song festival.[2] Oxford Lieder is now a registered charity and in addition to the annual festival which takes place in October,[3] there are regular concerts and masterclasses throughout the year, and a growing programme of educational events. While most events are held in a core set of venues (including Holywell Music Room[4] and the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building), there has been a recent show of concerts outside of central Oxford, England.
Recordings
[edit]In 2010, Oxford Lieder made its first recording with Stone Records under the Oxford Lieder Live banner. The disc, released in 2011,[5] was the first in a series that will comprise the first complete recordings of the songs of Hugo Wolf.[6] Seven of a total of eleven discs have now been released. In 2013, Oxford Lieder & Stone Records released a live recording of the complete Canticles of Benjamin Britten and a CD entitled 'Schubert Lieder Year by Year', featuring one song from each year of Schubert's compositional life.
Since 2014, the festival has broadcast filmed performances online. Jeremy Hamway-Bidgood's 2014 film, 'Franz Schubert: Erlkönig' featuring music performed by Daniel Norman (Tenor) and Sholto Kynoch (Piano).[7] During the 2020 festival, British-Iranian soprano Soraya Mafi performed a setting of Rumi's poem "Heart Snatcher" by Iranian composer Mahdis Kashani.[8]
Since 2023, the Oxford Lieder Festival has been renamed to Oxford International Song Festival.[9]
Other activities
[edit]Oxford Lieder runs a Young Artist Platform, promoting young singer-pianist duos to music clubs and societies around England, Wales and Scotland. It is part of the Oxford Music Network,[10] and works with local schools during the annual festival.[11]
Performers
[edit]Performers who have participated in the festival include:
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Soprano | Soraya Mafi, Mary Bevan, Sarah-Jane Brandon, Sophie Daneman, Geraldine McGreevy, Kate Royal |
| Mezzo-soprano | Sarah Connolly, Anna Grevelius, Kitty Whately |
| Tenor | Nicky Spence, James Gilchrist, Daniel Norman, Mark Padmore, Ian Partridge, Robin Tischler |
| Baritone | Thomas Allen, Olaf Bär, William Dazeley, Gerald Finley, Thomas Guthrie, Wolfgang Holzmair, Jonathan Lemalu, Stephan Loges, Christopher Maltman, Roderick Williams, Nicky Spence, Mark Stone, Håkan Vramsmo |
| Pianist | Eugene Asti, Iain Burnside, Julius Drake, Michael Dussek, Iain Farrington, Graham Johnson, Sholto Kynoch, Natasha Loges, Malcolm Martineau, Paul Plummer, Sholto Kynoch |
| Harpsichordist | Julian Perkins |
| Narrator | Simon Callow |
References
[edit]- ^ "Opera Today : Ten Years of Celebrating Song: Oxford Lieder Festival 2011". operatoday.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Oxford Lieder Festival - October 2013 Events - Classical Music". Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Preview of the Oxford Lieder Festival (From The Oxford Times)". oxfordtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Anna Larsson – review | Music | The Guardian". guardian.co.uk. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Wolf: The Complete Songs Vol 1: Mörike Lieder Part 1 – review | Music | The Guardian". guardian.co.uk. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Stone Records. Website. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "On Wenlock Edge: Online Film Screening | Events". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "08. Hafez and Persian Poetry in Song (Part One) | Events". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ ccaspell (7 June 2023). "Oxford Lieder Festival renamed as the Oxford International Song Festival". The Classical Source. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "The Oxford Music Network". oxfordmusicnetwork.net. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Oxford Lieder website. Retrieved 20 November 2011.